annual report 2008 - peacewomen · ished nations. the stolen asset recovery (star) initiative,...

RReeppoorrtt 2008AAnnnnuuaall

ccoovveerriinngg aaccttiivviittiieess iinn 22000077

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CCoonntteennttssPPrreeffaaccee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

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CCoonnttaaiinniinngg tthhee wwoorrlldd ddrruugg pprroobblleemm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

SSeeeeddss ooff iinnsseeccuurriittyy:: tthhee AAffgghhaann ooppiiuumm pprroobblleemm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

HHuummaann ttrraaffffiicckkiinngg:: aa ccrriimmee tthhaatt sshhaammeess uuss aallll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

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CCaauugghhtt iinn tthhee ccrroossssffiirree:: ddrruuggss aanndd ccrriimmee iinn CCeennttrraall AAmmeerriiccaa aanndd tthhee CCaarriibbbbeeaann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

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SSttrreennggtthheenniinngg tthhee lleeggaall rreeggiimmee aaggaaiinnsstt tteerrrroorriissmm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

AAddddiinngg vvaalluuee:: SSttrraatteeggyy ffoorr tthhee ppeerriioodd 22000088--22001111 aanndd MMeennuu ooff SSeerrvviicceess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

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UUNNOODDCC ANNUAL REPORT 2008

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Drugs, crime and terrorism remain three of the greatestthreats to the peace, security and well-being ofhumanity. The United Nations Office on Drugs andCrime (UNODC) is therefore in high demand.

Growing confidence in the ability of UNODC to helpStates confront these challenges was reflected in ahealthy increase in voluntary contributions in 2007.Recognition of the valuable work that the Office iscarrying out is growing in the media, the public andamong peer organizations.

The work carried out by UNODC in 2007 reaffirmed themerits of the Office’s three-pronged approach, which isbased on research that ensures that policy is evidence-based, a strong legal framework that helps States fightdrugs, crime and terrorism according to the rule of lawand an operational response that is made possible by thepolitical ownership of the States concerned, technicalassistance from UNODC headquarters and the involve-ment of the Office’s worldwide network of field offices.

Success depends on building partnerships betweenUNODC and Member States and between UNODC andother United Nations entities, regional organizations,development banks, international financial institutions,civil society, the private sector and the media. This isimportant for generating political will, poolingresources, sharing information and mobilizing support.Most of all, it is essential for generating a society-wideresponse to issues like drugs, human trafficking andcorruption, which affect us all.

In 2007, UNODC continued its active engagement incore countries and regions—Afghanistan, Myanmar,Central Asia and the Andean countries—while expand-ing its work in West Africa. Human trafficking and cor-ruption took centre stage. Drug control efforts, whichhave long focused on supply and interdiction, stresseddemand reduction. These issues are profiled in thisannual report. As you will see, the challenges are great.

Opium trafficking is fuelling instability in one of theworld’s most dangerous regions. Afghanistan and itsneighbours are trying to cope with the consequencesand UNODC is there to help by providing andanalysing data on opium poppy crops, facilitatingregional cooperation and assisting affected countries tostrengthen border management and drug control.

Cocaine trafficking is threatening the security and sov-ereignty of vulnerable West African countries that arebeing used as a hub for drug consignments travellingbetween Andean producers and European consumers.UNODC has alerted the world to the problem and is onthe ground helping embattled Governments to bolstertheir defences.

The menace of drug trafficking has caught CentralAmerica and the Caribbean in a cross-fire that is jeop-ardizing security and development. UNODC has studiedthe factors that make this region vulnerable in order tostimulate a suitable response.

Drug addiction is killing millions of people every yearand creating misery for tens of millions of others. Theinjection of drugs is spreading HIV and hepatitis.UNODC is urging States to put a stronger emphasis ondrug prevention and treatment, and is providing tech-nical assistance to reduce the harm that drugs pose tousers and society as a whole.

Human trafficking is becoming more exposed and bet-ter understood thanks, in part, to the United NationsGlobal Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT).The challenge now is to take action.

Corruption is a cancer that continues to kill people’strust in public administration and erode the commonwealth built by society. UNODC is helping States preventcorruption, build integrity and recover stolen assets.

This wide range of activities is taking on a morestrategic direction now that policy planning and thebudget have become more closely integrated. UNODChas set clearer milestones for itself by adopting a newmedium-term Strategy for the period 2008-2011 andhas made it easier for Member States to understandwhat the Office can offer by drawing up a new Menuof Services.

All of this will enable UNODC to live up to growingexpectations.

Antonio Maria CostaExecutive Director

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

PPrreeffaaccee

CCoonnttaaiinniinngg tthhee wwoorrlldd ddrruugg pprroobblleemm::Drug control is working, said theWorld Drug Report 2007, UNODC’sflagship publication. Global supply,trafficking and consumption ofcocaine, heroin, cannabis and

amphetamines have stabilized. Worldwide efforts tocontain the world drug problem have effectivelyreversed a quarter-century-long rise in drug abuse andheaded off a global pandemic. Afghanistan, however,bucked the trend with soaring opium production.

SSeeeeddss ooff iinnsseeccuurriittyy:: In 2007Afghanistan’s opium poppy cultiva-tion reached record levels. Therehave been some successes: opium isgrown in fewer provinces. But in themain growing area of Helmand the

increases have far outstripped reductions elsewhere.Heroin transiting through Central Asia to Europe iscausing addiction, spreading HIV and funding organ-ized crime.

HHuummaann ttrraaffffiicckkiinngg:: No country isimmune from the crime of humantrafficking, either as source or desti-nation countries. To tackle thisinhuman trade, UNODC is spear-heading the Global Initiative to

Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) with partners inthe United Nations system and beyond.

AAffrriiccaa uunnddeerr aattttaacckk:: The beleaguerednations of West Africa, and Guinea-Bissau in particular, are strugglingto repel the onslaught of cocainetrafficked from South America. In2007, UNODC rang the warning bell

and is mobilizing international assistance to help pre-vent a crisis.

CCeennttrraall AAmmeerriiccaa aanndd tthhee CCaarriibbbbeeaannccaauugghhtt iinn tthhee ccrroossss--ffiirree:: Drug traf-ficking is fuelling violent crime andposing a serious obstacle to eco-nomic development in CentralAmerica and the Caribbean, which

are trapped between the world’s biggest suppliers andconsumers of cocaine. In 2007, two reports examinedthis situation and called for an effective operationalresponse.

FFiigghhttiinngg ccoorrrruuppttiioonn:: For decades, cor-rupt leaders have absconded withthe national treasury of impover-ished nations. The Stolen AssetRecovery (StAR) Initiative, launchedin September 2007 by UNODC and

the World Bank, is designed not only to help develop-ing countries recover such stolen assets, but also towork with the developed world to eliminate impedi-ments to returning these vital assets.

SSttrreennggtthheenniinngg tthhee lleeggaall rreeggiimmee aaggaaiinnsstttteerrrroorriissmm:: The United Nations GlobalCounter-Terrorism Strategy, adoptedby the General Assembly inSeptember 2006, calls for greateraction to prevent terrorism, a main

plank of UNODC’s mandate. To strengthen inter-national law against terrorism, UNODC lends itsexpertise in the ratification and implementation ofinternational legal treaties and related domestic legis-lation.

AAddddiinngg vvaalluuee:: To respond more effec-tively to the global threats of drugsand crime, UNODC set out a blue-print for action in its Strategy forthe period 2008-2011. To implementthe Strategy, the Office has devel-

oped a Menu of Services to showcase the kinds oftechnical assistance it can provide to Member States.

RReessoouurrccee mmoobbiilliizzaattiioonn aanndd ppaarrttnneerrsshhiippddeevveellooppmmeenntt:: UNODC is strengthen-ing partnerships to pool expertiseand leverage resources.

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The following abbreviations have been used in this report:

AIRCOP Airport Communication Project

ATS amphetamine-type stimulants (methamphetamine, amphetamine, ecstasy)

CARICC Central Asia Regional Information and Coordination Centre

CIS Commonwealth of Independent States

CTC Counter Terrorism Committee (of the Security Council)

CTED Executive Directorate (of the Security Council)

DAPC-Japan Drug Abuse Prevention Centre

ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States

EFCC Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (of Nigeria)

Europol European Law Enforcement Organisation

Interpol International Criminal Police Organization

NGO non-governmental organization

OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

OPEC Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

ProFi Programme and Financial Management and Information System

StAR Stolen Asset Recovery

UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNDEF United Nations Democracy Fund

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UN.GIFT United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking

UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund

UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services

WCO World Customs Organization

WHO World Health Organization

Measurements:

ha hectares

tons metric tons

AAbbbbrreevviiaattiioonnss aanndd aaccrroonnyymmss

Amphetamine-type stimulants.Photo: Ioulia Kondratovitch

Containment is working. That was the positive andsignificant headline message from the World DrugReport 2007, the flagship publication of the UnitedNations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). In thereport, UNODC said that global efforts to combat theproduction and use of illicit drugs were succeeding inbringing drug abuse under control, although the situa-tion was still fragile. Belying doomsday forecasts of anever-expanding nightmare of addiction, the Office alsosaid there was robust evidence that the global supplyof, trafficking in and consumption of all drugs hadstabilized.

“For almost every kind of drug—cocaine, heroin,cannabis and amphetamine-type stimulants—there aresigns of overall stability, whether we speak of cultiva-tion, production or consumption. Hopefully, within thenext few years evidence to support this claim willbecome statistically and logically incontrovertible,”said UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costain the preface to the World Drug Report 2007.

While a number of factors contributed to this upbeatnote, progress in containment coincided with drugcontrol efforts led by the United Nations and a reces-sion in the drug economy. These gains could rapidlycome undone. Nor was the good news universal. Pro-gress in some areas was offset by setbacks elsewhere.The situation in Afghanistan, in particular, was a blackmark on a positive report card: the dramatic 50 percent jump in opium production witnessed in that coun-try in 2006 far outweighed the declining contributionmade by the once-infamous Golden Triangle of South-East Asia. Other concerns included increasing cocaineconsumption in Europe, drug trafficking in parts ofAfrica and the unsolved dilemma of the world’s 25million problem drug users. It is estimated that approx-imately 200 million people, nearly 5 per cent of theworld population aged 15 to 64, use illegal drugs.

CCooccaaiinnee.. The World Drug Report 2007 tracked a con-tinued decline in coca bush cultivation in the Andean

countries. Global cocaine consumption remainedsteady, although a reduction in the United States wasundermined by alarming increases in Europe, particu-larly in Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom. In Spain,the main entry point for cocaine to Europe, the reportshowed that 3 per cent of the population used cocaine;among teenagers, the figure rose to 4.1 per cent. Incontrast, 2.8 per cent of the population of the UnitedStates and 3.6 per cent of its teenagers used cocaine in2006.

AAmmpphheettaammiinnee--ttyyppee ssttiimmuullaannttss.. The global production ofamphetamine-type stimulants or ATS (methampheta-mine, amphetamine and ecstasy) stabilized in 2005.The production of methamphetamine continued to beconcentrated in North America, notably in Mexico andthe United States, and in South-East Asia, particularlyin Myanmar, China and the Philippines. Ecstasy pro-duction remained concentrated in Europe, notably inthe Netherlands and Belgium, although production alsogrew outside Europe, particularly in North Americaand South-East Asia. Europe continued to be the mainproducer of amphetamine, with the Netherlands andPoland leading, followed by the countries of the Balticregion and Belgium. At close to 25 million consumers,the market for methamphetamines and amphetaminescontinued to be larger than that for cocaine (14 mil-lion users) or heroin (11 million users).

containing the world drug problem

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Containingthe world drug problem


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To help countries in South-East Asia deal with the ris-ing use of ATS, UNODC is working on a training man-ual, the first of its kind for service providers. UNODCcollected data on ATS from States members of theAssociation of South-East Asian Nations and China. A common database for ecstasy tablets, which coversphotographic and basic forensic information on signif-icant seizures, was finalized.

CCaannnnaabbiiss.. The production and consumption ofcannabis levelled off for the first time in the lastdecade. Still, marijuana, which is grown in 172 of the198 countries and territories for which UNODCobtained information, attracted close to 160 millioncustomers annually, or 3.8 per cent of the populationaged 15 to 64. The cultivation of cannabis herbremained concentrated in North America and Africa.The largest amounts of cannabis resin were producedin Morocco, followed by Afghanistan and Pakistan.While the production of cannabis resin declined inMorocco, it increased in Afghanistan.

New strains of higher potency cannabis made peoplesick as well as high. As a result, more people had to beadmitted into emergency rooms and more pot smokerssought treatment.

OOppiiuumm.. Levels of opium poppy cultivation and opiumproduction were significant and increased in both2006 and 2007. Cultivation and production were con-centrated in the southern provinces of Afghanistan.The greatest spike in figures was recorded in Helmandprovince, which alone is the most important source ofopium in the world and where the security situation isextremely poor. Since opium production declined inseveral other parts of Afghanistan where conditionswere better, it appears that the opium problem is pri-marily one of security. In the short term, conditions inthe world’s heroin markets will continue to be deter-mined by events in southern Afghanistan.

SSnnaappsshhoottss ffrroomm tthhee ffiieelldd

SSoouutthh--EEaasstt AAssiiaa

The Golden Triangle, which covered parts of the LaoPeople’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Thailand,is no longer a major source of opium. Opium poppycultivation continued to decline in 2006 but rose againin Myanmar in 2007.

The area in Myanmar devoted to opium poppy cultiva-tion rebounded by 29 per cent in 2007 to reach 27,700ha and production jumped by 46 per cent to 460 tons,according to a UNODC report entitled Opium PoppyCultivation in South-East Asia: Lao PDR, Myanmar,Thailand. That followed a decline to just 21,500 ha in2006 from 130,000 ha in 1998.

The World Drug Report 2007 attributed the surge inopium poppy cultivation to corruption and lack ofGovernment control in areas held by insurgents. Thesituation was mainly restricted to Shan State,where, asin parts of Afghanistan and Colombia, drugs andinsurgency combined to fuel insecurity.

Also worrying is the emergence of a more lucrativetrade in methamphetamines, which has offset thedecade-long decline in opium cultivation.

AAlltteerrnnaattiivvee ddeevveellooppmmeenntt iinn tthhee AAnnddeess

In the Andean countries of Bolivia, Colombia andPeru, together the world’s main cocaine-producingregion, the overall situation was stable yet fragile.Global cocaine production in 2006 was unchanged at984 tons. Areas of land devoted to coca bush cultiva-tion grew by 7 per cent in Peru and 8 per cent inBolivia in 2006 to reach 51,400 ha and 27,500 ha,respectively, but decreased in Colombia by 9 per cent.In 2006, 156,900 ha were under coca bush cultivationin the three countries, a 2 per cent decrease from the159,600 ha that were under such cultivation in 2005,according to a survey entitled Coca Cultivation in theAndean Region: A Survey of Bolivia, Colombia,Ecuador and Peru.

The Forest Warden Programme of the ColombianPresidency is innovative in that it focuses on helpingto improve the living standards of small farmers whilealso protecting valuable forests in one of the world’strue biodiversity hotspots. Forest warden families thatparticipate in the programme receive incentives to giveup coca bush cultivation, switch to licit crops and pro-tect the environment. To evaluate the programme’ssuccess, UNODC conducted a survey in mid-2007 of43,300 families and assessed the social services provid-ed in 60 municipalities. It found that the programmehad resulted in the elimination of 9,000 ha of illicitcrops, recovered some 54,000 ha of land previouslydegraded by illicit crop cultivation and maintained the

natural integrity of an additional 280,000 ha coveringland, water and forests. It had also enabled 11,400farming families, more than half of which were headedby women, to purchase 43,400 ha of land. To date,UNODC has worked directly with more than 6,000farming families, or 30,000 people, who were previ-ously dependent on coca bush cultivation.

In 2007, UNODC took stock of the progress made by asix-year-old programme in Bolivia designed to improvethe non-agricultural skills of young people aged 15 to 34. Run jointly with the International LabourOrganization, the programme focuses on finding alter-native employment for farmers in the coca bush culti-vation area of the Cochabamba Tropics, which isbecoming progressively urban. In total, 23,000 youngpeople in the region have been trained in differenttrades and in business management. As a result, morethan 5,500 have either found positions or establishedbusinesses, raising their income by 31 per cent.

In Peru, UNODC reforested 650 ha of land degraded bycoca bush cultivation in the Apurimac-Ene region,benefiting 600 families. In the region of Tocache,UNODC helped 50 communities switch from cultivatingcoca bush to growing palm for the production of palmoil and 13 former coca bush-growing communitiesfrom the province of Padre Abad to devote 1,800 ha ofland for the cultivation of palm for oil. Driven byEuropean and North American demand for organiccoffee and cocoa, the proceeds of sales from Peruvianfarm enterprises supported by UNODC are expected tohave risen from $55 million in 2006 to $65 million in2007, benefiting 18,500 families.

SSuuppppllyy

On the global supply side, coordinated law enforce-ment efforts boosted the volume of drug seizures. In2005, it was estimated that law enforcement officials

intercepted 42 per cent of the cocaine and 24 per centof the heroin produced globally, compared with the1999 figures of 24 per cent and 15 per cent, respec-tively. Improved cooperation among law enforcementagencies led to seizures close to the source of cocaineproduction; some 57 per cent of global cocaineseizures took place in South America, the Caribbeanand Central America.

This success, however, has forced traffickers in cocainefrom Colombia and heroin from Afghanistan to estab-lish new routes. Increasingly, cocaine traffickers haveturned to West Africa, which has emerged as a transitpoint between South America and Europe, setting offalarm bells given the potential for such illegal activi-ties to undermine national and regional stability (seechapter on Africa under attack of this Annual Report).

SSeeiizzuurreess

Data on seizures show that the transport of heroinfrom Afghanistan to the Russian Federation via CentralAsia was not well organized and that many peoplefrom countries along that route were involved. In con-trast, large syndicates based in Mexico and Colombiamonopolized the shipment of cocaine from LatinAmerica with little involvement from individuals inthe transit countries of Central America.

It proved more difficult to seize ATS largely becausethe supply routes are so much shorter for these kindsof drugs. Police forces had to be on the lookout fordrug laboratories even in the middle of wealthy cities.Methamphetamines constituted the bulk of the stimu-lants confiscated globally (58 per cent of all seizures).

The establishment of border liaison offices at strategicborder crossings in South-East Asia enabled lawenforcement officers to share information in real-timeto curb drug trafficking. As of 2007, 69 liaison officeshad solved more than 500 cases, as a result of whichthey seized large quantities of drugs and precursorsand arrested traffickers.

As for cannabis, the year 2005 saw a decline inseizures. If this trend were to continue, it could signala growing reliance on locally produced cannabis.Despite successes in drug seizures, UNODC has report-ed that the drug business remained by far the mostprofitable illicit trade.

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Vocational training project in the coca bush growing areaof Cochabamba, Bolivia. Photo: UNODC Bolivia


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SSuucccceesssseess aarroouunndd tthhee wwoorrlldd

AAtt tthhee rreeqquueesstt ooff tthhee GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt ooff CCaammbbooddiiaa, UNODChelped to dispose of hazardous chemicals and clean upthe site of a clandestine laboratory, the first ever foundin Cambodia. In the process, the Government acquiredthe capacity to handle similar situations in the future byitself. This was a first-stage laboratory that manufac-tured chloroephedrine, a substance that would then beprocessed to produce methamphetamine in a second lab-oratory.

Authorities seized some 5.8 tons of precursor chemicalsneeded to convert raw drugs into finished products atthe laboratory. UNODC raised the necessary funds andsent experts. The operation, which required the use ofcomprehensive health and safety measures, took placeon-site since there were no chemical waste disposalfacilities in Cambodia.

UUNNOODDCC ccoonnttiinnuueedd ttoo ssuuppppoorrtt tthhee PPaalleessttiinniiaann ddrruugg ccoonn--ttrrooll aauutthhoorriittiieess in upgrading their capacity against drugtrafficking and related criminal activities in thePalestinian Territory, in particular along the borders withEgypt and at checkpoints around the West Bank. It pro-vided advanced drug law enforcement training andupdated drug detection equipment to the national drugcontrol authorities.

TThhee CCoonnttaaiinneerr CCoonnttrrooll PPrrooggrraammmmee, a joint initiative ofUNODC and the World Customs Organization, has seennumerous successes in its short history. Almost two tons

of cocaine were seized in the port of Guayaquil, Ecuador,the biggest in a series of seizures.

The final destination of that consignment was, mostlikely, Europe. The drugs were discovered in a shipmentof ground chilli peppers following pre-inspection profil-ing by the inter-agency port control team. A specialpolice investigation unit was able to make a number ofsubsequent arrests.

Some 18 tons of isopropyl alcohol were seized by theinter-agency unit in Guayaquil in October. Isopropylalcohol is a controlled substance in Ecuador because itcan be used in the illicit production of cocaine.

The Container Control Programme aims to assist theGovernments of Ecuador, Ghana, Pakistan and Senegal inestablishing effective container control procedures toprevent drug trafficking and other illicit activities whilefacilitating legal trade.

Joint port control units comprising officers from differ-ent law enforcement bodies (such as customs and police)have been created at ports such as Guayaquil. The pro-gramme also promotes close cooperation between thecustoms, trade and law enforcement communities as ameans to prevent the abuse of legitimate commercialtrade for the purposes of organized crime. It also facili-tates cooperation with relevant international agenciesinvolved in regulating and monitoring worldwide con-tainer traffic.

Clandestine laboratory in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia. Photo: UNODC Cambodia/Chan Kee Bian

DDrruugg ccoonnttrrooll mmiilleessttoonneess

At the twentieth special session of the GeneralAssembly devoted to countering the world drug prob-lem, in 1998, Member States committed themselves to“eliminating or significantly reducing the illicit culti-vation of the coca bush, the cannabis plant and theopium poppy” and to “achieving significant and meas-urable results in the field of demand reduction” by2008.

The International Opium Commission was convened inShanghai, China, in 1909. It gave rise to the firstinstrument of international law for dealing with psy-choactive substances, the International OpiumConvention, signed in The Hague in 1912. In 2009,Member States will take stock of progress at a ministe-rial gathering of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs,the UNODC governing body on drug control matters.

BBeeyyoonndd 22000088

UNODC strengthened its collaboration with non-gov-ernmental organizations (NGOs) on drug control.

Together with the Vienna and New York NGOCommittees on Narcotics Drugs, UNODC launched“Beyond 2008”, an initiative to give civil society aplatform for reviewing their achievements 10 yearsafter the twentieth special session of the GeneralAssembly. A series of regional consultations withNGOs took place and the process will culminate in aforum in July 2008.

TTrreeaattiinngg aann iillllnneessss:: ddrruugg pprreevveennttiioonn,, ttrreeaattmmeennttaanndd rreehhaabbiilliittaattiioonn

While there were growing signs that both the supplyof and demand for drugs were generally stable, drugsstill ruled the lives of at least one in every 200 peopleacross the globe. The biggest concern remained theworld’s 25 million problem drug users, most of whomare heroin or cocaine addicts. Once again, the annualsupply of opium from Afghanistan could, directly orindirectly, kill more than 100,000 people. Although itis important to continue making efforts to curtailsupply, the greatest challenge in global drug controlis to curb demand, which would ultimately reducesupply.

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A drug treatment centre in Myanmar. Photo: UNODC Myanmar/Xavier Bouan


Drug dependence is a physiological and psychologicalillness and a serious public health issue both in indus-trialized and developing countries. In 2007, the UNODCExecutive Director urged States to treat the problem atits source—the drug users.

Illicit drugs are often used in developing countries tomake the burdens of poverty, violence, marginaliza-tion, hard labour, hunger or depression endurable.However, addiction has been placing an increasingburden on developing countries, which often lack ade-quate health care, welfare and educational facilities tocope with the consequences of addiction.

Unsafe injecting practices hasten the spread of HIVand hepatitis B and C, and damage vital organs suchas the heart and liver. Drug addicts need treatment asmuch as patients of chronic diseases such as cancer,diabetes and tuberculosis.

Moreover, drug abuse impairs a person’s lucidity andreflexes. Drugs can lead to accidents and thus endan-ger lives and wreck workers’ productivity. People ondrugs are a menace to the public and themselves.UNODC is urging greater attention to drug preventionwith the aim of reducing the adverse health and socialconsequences of drug use.

PPrreevveennttiioonn

Drug abuse can be prevented, treated and controlled.Untreated substance abuse costs society dearly interms of violent and property crimes, prison and courtcases, emergency room admissions, child abuse, fostercare, welfare and unemployment benefits. In addition,addicts who are stigmatized for their so-called self-destructive behaviour might live as pariahs. Scientificevidence, however, has confirmed that some people aremore susceptible to drug abuse than others due togenetic or psychiatric factors, upbringing or socio-eco-nomic status. Whatever the cause, addiction alwaysputs the addict further at risk.

There are 13.1 million injecting drug users in 130countries. Early detection could help curb the spread ofrelated diseases. The sharing of contaminated injectionequipment is a major cause of HIV transmission in

Boys and girls play football at a youth camp in Lebanon organized by the Global Sport Fund. Photo: UNODC/Norha Restrepo

Brazilian hard rock band “Sepultura” joins the UNODC drug abuse prevention campaign during a concert on 26 June—theInternational Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Photo: Marcelo Versiani

many regions, including Eastern Europe, Central,South and South-East Asia, and in some countries inLatin America, according to the United NationsReference Group on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Careamong Injecting Drug Users in Developing andTransitional Countries.

Drug abuse can be prevented by providing young peo-ple with opportunities, skills and information thatadvises against risky behaviour and in favour ofhealthy lifestyles.

The effectiveness of certain drug prevention activitieshas been proved in rigorous scientific trials.Unfortunately, many prevention programmes aroundthe world are not backed up scientifically, which iswhy UNODC has launched new efforts to promote evi-dence-based prevention approaches, specificallythrough life skills education in schools, family skillstraining and prevention in the workplace.

Community-wide support is needed to combat drugabuse. Teachers and schools play a role in building achild’s self esteem. To help decrease domestic conflictand create a supportive environment for children, fam-ily skills training programmes have proved particularlysuccessful. These programmes improve parenting skillsand decrease family conflict. They lessen depressionand aggression in children and enhance academic per-formance. Yet, these programmes are not widely usedin low and middle income countries. Therefore, last

year UNODC started a global review of available fami-ly skills training programmes.

Sports and social activities help youngsters to engagein healthy and constructive activities that enhancetheir well-being, prevent them from becoming isolatedand empower them to reject drugs. In October, theGlobal Sport Fund organized a four-day regional foot-ball training camp for young people in Jounieh,Lebanon. Boys and girls from the region (Bahrain, Iraq,Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and Yemen and from thePalestinian Territory) played football together andlearned positive values such as loyalty, commitmentand respect for others. A joint initiative of UNODC andthe Qatar Olympic Committee, the Fund promotes sportas an alternative to drug abuse and crime.

Looking at the broader picture, UNODC has called for States to share responsibility for the problemscaused by drug abuse. Producer countries shoulddevote more resources to stemming drug supply at its source by helping poor farmers to survive.Consumer countries should curb demand with earlyand long-term prevention programmes and by caringfor addicts.

TTrreeaattmmeenntt

A co-sponsor of the Joint United Nations Programmeon HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), UNODC is the lead agency forHIV/AIDS prevention and care among injecting drugusers and prisoners. It is also responsible for develop-ing a United Nations response to HIV/AIDS associated

15


IInn IInnddiiaa, UNODC has worked to prevent the trans-mission of HIV among drug users by introducing theuse of buprenorphine as oral substitution therapy intwo institutions and three communities. After ninemonths, it was found that participants had sharplyreduced the amount of time they dedicated to tak-ing heroin (from 24.9 days a month to 1.7 days amonth) and that 13.5 per cent of participants wereinjecting drugs compared to 52.4 per cent at thebeginning of the treatment. UNODC thereforeexpanded oral substitution therapy to 15 sites inIndia and used both buprenorphine and methadonein other southern Asian countries. The UNODC inter-vention has since been taken up as part of theGovernment’s national response to tackling HIVspread by injecting drugs.

UUNNOODDCC aanndd iittss pprroojjeecctt ppaarrttnneerr CCAARREE IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaallwere granted permission to conduct HIV preventiontraining in 20 prisons in Myanmar in addition to thetwo they were already serving. UNODC trained 1,739personnel and trainers working for the Myanmarpolice forces and two military hospitals in HIV/AIDSprevention. UNODC revised and distributed theAddiction Rehabilitation Manual, originally publishedin 1991. It also opened a drop-in centre in thenorthern Shan State to provide comprehensive drugservices, bringing the number of drop-in centres inoperation to five. The Office also assessed the behav-iour of 631 injecting and other drug users and theirsexual partners, then provided services aimed at pre-venting infection and ensuring basic health care.


16

with human trafficking in countries of origin and des-tination. UNODC participated in four studies with theWorld Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS thatresulted in the publication, in 2007, of a volume enti-tled Interventions to Address HIV in Prisons—DrugDependence Treatments.

Drug dependence responds to medical, pharmacologi-cal and psychosocial treatment. As with diseases suchas diabetes or heart disease, overcoming addictiondepends on adopting healthier lifestyles.

UNODC produced a study entitled Reducing the adversehealth and social consequences of drug abuse: A com-prehensive approach, which calls for the preventionand treatment of substance use disorders as well as theprovision of facilities to reduce the harmful conse-quences of drug abuse.

Treatnet is an international network of 20 drugdependence treatment and rehabilitation resource cen-tres developed by UNODC and linked to a number ofinternational partners, including WHO and theEuropean Monitoring Centre for Drugs and DrugAddiction. Since the launch of Treatnet in 2005,UNODC has trained trainers in 14 countries; they, inturn, have instructed more than 1,000 physicians, psy-chologists, counsellors, social workers, nurses and otherprofessionals. Evidence has shown that the multipliereffect has gone beyond UNODC-supported programmes.

Currently, drug prevention and control programmesconcentrate more on heroin than on cocaine, althoughboth are highly addictive substances. UNODC hasstressed that more information is needed about theeffects of cocaine and the treatment of cocaine addicts.UNODC has joined WHO in improving evidence-basedtreatment of addiction for all types of drugs, includingthrough the launch, in 2008, of a UNODC/WHO initia-tive entitled Partnership for Action on ComprehensiveTreatment: Preventing and treating drug dependenceand HIV/AIDS.

UNODC co-produced the report HIV and Prisons insub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities for Action to helpthis hard-hit and underserved population. The reportwas used for the first time during the week markingWorld AIDS Day 2007 in Mombasa, Kenya, at aregional consultation on HIV transmission amongimprisoned injecting drug users.

SSuucccceessss wwiitthh oorraall ssuubbssttiittuuttiioonn tthheerraappyyThirty-year-old Fahmida was jailed in India in December2004. She was a drug user who took part in a UNODCprogramme designed to provide HIV/AIDS care forinjecting drug users. “I am truly enjoying being a part ofthe UNODC intervention. The peer training has com-pletely transformed my gloomy and depressed days intodays filled with new hopes and happiness,” she said.

The programme includes a variety of measures, a cor-nerstone of which is oral substitution therapy, whichhas been proved to be an effective, safe and cost-effec-tive means to manage opioid dependence.“I have learned so many things,” said Fahmida. “I feelthat a training of such calibre should be carried outeverywhere, especially in rural areas.”

UUNNOODDCC hheellppss eemmppoowweerr wwoommeennDaw Dewi is the chairperson of a women’s group in thevillage of Maehan in Myanmar, which was establishedas part of a community-based drug demand reductionproject of UNODC.

The women’s group has helped support addicts throughcentre-based detoxification, established a local libraryand child care centre, organized reading and writing aswell as sewing classes and implemented a microcreditsystem. Village women have used the microcredit proj-ect to set up small community shops, such as schoolfood stalls and tailor and repair shops. Under the sys-tem, a woman may borrow up to 30,000 kyat permonth for two years; she then repays the borrowedmoney at 3,000 kyat a month, a rate that all the bor-rowers have been able to meet. To date, 108 womenhave borrowed funds.

Daw Khin Sein is one of those women. A widow at 35and the mother of five, she borrowed 650,000 kyats(roughly $500) in 2002 and 2003 from the project.With those funds, she repaired the bus that was herfamily’s sole source of income. She repaid that loan andtook out another, this time of 200,000 kyats ($150),with which she opened a noodle shop and started togrow vegetables. She has since repaid her loans andenjoys a steady income. She has also built a new house.

17


RReellaatteedd ddooccuummeennttss

World Drug Report 2007Afghanistan Opium Survey 2007

Coca Cultivation in the Andean Region: A survey of Bolivia, Colombia and Peru (2006)Colombia: Coca Cultivation Survey (2006)Bolivia: Coca Cultivation Survey (2006Peru: Coca Cultivation Survey (2006)

Opium Poppy Cultivation in South East Asia: Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand (2007)Lao PDR Opium Survey (2005)Myanmar Opium Survey (2005)

Morocco Cannabis Survey 2005

HIV and Prisons in sub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities for Action (2007)Reducing the adverse health and social consequences of drug abuse: A comprehensive approach (2007)Interventions to Address HIV in Prisons: Drug Dependence Treatments (2007)

Opium poppy in Afghanistan.Photo: UNODC Afghanistan/Zalmai

The situation in Afghanistan is blighting an otherwiseimproving drugs picture. The production of opium, theraw material for heroin, soared in 2007, rising 34 percent from the already record levels of 2006, accordingto the Afghanistan Opium Survey 2007 of UNODC.Production reached 8,200 tons, a vast narcotics harvestof unprecedented size in modern times and unseensince the opium boom in China during the nineteenthcentury. That output represented 93 per cent of theworld’s supply and outstripped global demand, whichis estimated at 4,500 tons. Much of the opium will endup on European streets as heroin, the hardest of drugs.Drug abuse also rose rapidly in Afghanistan, as thenumber of addicts, both adults and children, grew.

The size of Afghanistan’s opium economy exceededhalf the country’s licit gross domestic product (53 percent), according to the Survey. The total export valueof opiates in Afghanistan reached about $4 billion, a29 per cent increase compared to 2006. About a quar-ter of that went to opium farmers while almost threequarters lined the pockets of traffickers. District offi-cials took their cut, along with insurgents and war-lords.

The area devoted to opium poppy cultivation surged to193,000 ha, double the 2005 figure. This expanse wasgreater than the area devoted to growing coca bush inall of Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. Opium poppy culti-

seeds of insecurity

19

Seeds of insecurity:tthhee AAffgghhaann ooppiiuumm pprroobblleemm

OOppiiuumm ppooppppyy ccuullttiivvaattiioonn iinn AAffgghhaanniissttaann,, 22000055--22000077

Source: Government of Afghanistan—National monitoring system implemented by UNODC

vation is almost completely concentrated in the southof the country, the site of the Taliban insurgency.

Some 80 per cent of the opium poppy was grown inseven provinces in the south and south-west and anastonishing 50 per cent came from a single province,Helmand. With 103,000 ha of land under opium poppycultivation, Helmand became the world’s most impor-tant source of drugs, exceeding the narcotic crop culti-vation areas of entire countries like Colombia (coca),Morocco (cannabis) and Myanmar (opium).

The picture, however, looked different in the centreand north of Afghanistan, where the Governmentincreased its presence. There, opium poppy cultivationdeclined. The number of opium-free provinces in thecentre and north of Afghanistan more than doubled,from six to thirteen, compared to 2006, while in theprovince of Balkh opium poppy cultivation collapsedto zero in 2007 from 7,200 ha the previous year.

This north-south divergence confirmed that high-risksecurity areas were also high-opium growing areas.Counter-insurgency and counter-narcotics efforts weretherefore inextricably linked; insurgents preventednational authorities and international agencies fromcarrying out their work. They profited from high-levelcorruption that allowed ever more orchards, wheatfields and vegetable plots to be turned into areas forgrowing opium poppy.

The report found indications that the Taliban mayhave started to use drug profits to purchase arms, paymilitia forces and finance logistics. Through the appli-cation of international law, efforts are being made tostem this trend. Security Council resolution 1735 of 22December 2006 on threats to international peace andsecurity caused by terrorist acts has made it possiblefor States to propose names of major drug traffickersinvolved in terrorism for inclusion in a “Taliban/AlQaida” list. This list targets individuals and groups for


20

Antonio Maria Costa, UNODC Executive Director (centre), responding to journalists during a drug burning ceremony atDushanbe, Tajikistan. Photo: UNODC Central Asia

sanctions such as asset freezes, travel bans and armsembargoes.

In another worrying trend, as the supply of opiumincreased, UNODC observed heroin laboratories sprout-ing up in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries.These laboratories depended on smuggled supplies ofprecursor chemicals for processing opium into heroin.To stem the flow of the more than 10,000 tons of pre-cursor chemicals entering the country and, in particu-lar, to curb the trade in acetic anhydride, the regionalprecursor control programme of UNODC developedtraining and mentoring for checkpoint officers.

In 2007, Afghanistan either processed and exported orstored for future export some 660 tons of heroin andmorphine. Because of the risks associated with smug-gling, opium gains value at every border it crosses. Bythe time heroin reaches Western Europe, the originalasking price of the Afghan opium may have gone up100 times. In 2007, heroin also found new routes tothe consumer, for instance through West Africa to theUnited States and via Pakistan and Central Asia toChina.

Ultimately, to shut down routes and decrease theabundant opium supply, consumer States must act to lower domestic demand. “It will take time, moneyand determination-worthwhile investments to spareAfghanistan and the rest of the world moretragedies”, said UNODC Executive Director AntonioMaria Costa.

CCrroossss--bboorrddeerr ccooooppeerraattiioonn

The opium boom in Afghanistan and the instability atits borders have created a sense of urgency and sharedinterests among neighbouring countries. UNODCworked to improve border control, help increase lawenforcement, facilitate joint operations and improveintelligence on trafficking routes.

Central Asia remained a key conduit for traffickingAfghan heroin to Europe. Nearly 20 per cent of thetotal volume of heroin produced in Afghanistan tran-sited through the so-called northern route throughcountries of the Commonwealth of Independent States(CIS) and the Russian Federation to Europe. Illicit drugflows fed a flourishing criminal economy, which inturn engendered other threats to human security such

as an explosion of drug-related HIV/AIDS, corruption,money-laundering and terrorist financing.

UNODC directed its biggest portfolio of technical assis-tance, worth $50 million, at Central Asia.

Law enforcement agencies in all five Central Asiancountries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) increasingly conductedintelligence-led operations to counter trade in bothopiates and precursor chemicals. The initiative, knownas the Central Asia Regional Information andCoordination Centre (CARICC), kicked off its pilotphase in November in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Once fullyoperational, the Centre will establish links withEuropol, Interpol and other regional bodies.

PPaarriiss PPaacctt

“The Afghan opium situation looks grim, but it is notyet hopeless. The problem is increasingly localized inthe southern provinces along the border with Pakistan,where populations face threats reminiscent of whathappened there a decade ago”, said Mr. Costa.

UNODC stepped up region-wide efforts under the ParisPact, an initiative launched in 2003 to promote coordi-nated measures against narco-trafficking in and fromAfghanistan.

21

seeds of insecurity

SSiinnccee iittss iinncceeppttiioonn in 1999 as a UNODC-fundedproject, the Drug Control Agency (DCA) of Tajikistanhas consistently achieved a high drug seizure rate.Although this force is made up of fewer than 300officers, it has consistently accounted for 20 to 30per cent of total seizures in Tajikistan over the pastseveral years. The DCA appears to have spawned avirtuous cycle. Since its inception, seizures by allagencies have increased dramatically, most likelybecause of competition with the DCA. Tajikistan’sseizures are far greater than the combined seizuresof all the other Central Asian countries. TheEuropean street value of drugs seized in Tajikistansince the founding of the agency has reached $430million, true value for money when compared withthe $14 million that UNODC expects to have invest-ed in the project by 2010.


22

In Central Asia, the rate of seizures was below 4 percent of the volume of heroin trafficked via CentralAsia. Most seizures took place in Tajikistan, whereUNODC is working alongside the EuropeanCommission and the Government of the United Statesto equip guard posts along the Tajik-Afghan borderand train officers. UNODC has also worked to enhancethe collection and analysis of intelligence with mobileunits complementing border liaison offices at check-points. The first such office is planned to be estab-lished along the Uzbek-Tajik border.

The Government of Turkmenistan is taking a moreactive role in the region. A new initiative to strengthenthe capacity of States to fight drug trafficking aroundthe Caspian Sea and the southern Caucasus regioncalled the Caspian Sea Initiative has got under way.The Government committed itself to developing aTurkmen border initiative by: creating a drug controlagency, training personnel stationed along theTurkmen border and cooperating with Afghanistanand Iran. Turkmenistan also obtained observer statuswith the Eurasian Group on Combating MoneyLaundering and Financing of Terrorism and was thefirst member-country to ratify the agreement thatled to the establishment of CARICC.

The Paris Pact is also strengthening data collectionand analytical capacity thanks to a network ofnational strategic analysts based in Afghanistan,Iran, Pakistan, the Russian Federation and theCentral Asian countries. In 2007, UNODC enhancedthe Automated Donor Assistance Mechanism, anonline tool that holds information on nearly 900counter-narcotics projects in Asia and Europe. “If border control is not improved, Afghanistan’sneighbours will be hit by a tsunami of the most

deadly drug,” said Mr. Costa in October. In December,UNODC outlined a series of measures to be taken inthe framework of the Paris Pact to reduce the negativehealth, social and security consequences of opium andheroin trafficking.

In June, UNODC brokered a trilateral initiative toimprove counter-narcotics cooperation amongAfghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The three countriesdecided to take steps to improve border management,including by building more physical barriers to blocksmuggling, boosting law enforcement, launching jointoperations and sharing intelligence on trafficking andsuspicious shipments.

Ministers agreed to focus on all aspects of the drugeconomy: stopping the diversion and smuggling ofprecursor chemicals used to make drugs; locating anddestroying drug laboratories; tackling corruption; andhalting the laundering of money gained through drugtrafficking.

At a Paris Pact meeting held in Turkmenistan inSeptember, experts from Iran, Pakistan, North America,Central Asia, the European Union, the CIS countries,Interpol, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization andthe World Customs Organization met to address thesupply of drugs from Afghanistan.

WWiitthhiinn tthhee ffrraammeewwoorrkk ooff tthhee PPaarriiss PPaacctt, UNODCproposed five measures under the so-called“Rainbow Strategy”: increasing the number ofopium-free provinces in Afghanistan; strengtheningcross-border counter-narcotics cooperation; secur-ing Central Asia’s borders through intelligencecooperation and border management; reducing thesmuggling of precursor chemicals into Afghanistan;and improving security around the Caspian Sea.

Security briefing by a Tajik border guard. Photo: UNODC Central Asia

In October, Tajikistan hosted summits of the countriesof the CIS and of the Collective Security TreatyOrganization (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan andUzbekistan). UNODC Executive Director Antonio MariaCosta addressed the heads of State and foreign minis-ters of the CIS countries on the role played by UNODCin supporting their efforts to fight drugs, crime andterrorism, especially in connection with the recordopium harvest in Afghanistan.

CCoommbbaattiinngg HHIIVV//AAIIDDSS

The thriving drugs trade means more addiction andthe related misery of HIV/AIDS in the transit coun-tries along the opium trafficking route. Injecting druguse is a particular risk factor for contracting the ill-ness.

UNODC produced a ground-breaking Regional Study onDrug Use and HIV/AIDS: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan andUzbekistan for the World Bank. Over the past ten years,Central Asia has suffered the highest increase in the

prevalence of drug abuse worldwide. The study report-ed that between 60 and 90 per cent of all cases of HIVinfection in Central Asia were caused by the injectionof drugs, while in the rest of the world that figure was10 per cent. If not dealt with quickly, infections wouldspread into the wider population.

The study established the basis for future strategies forpreventing the spread of HIV due to drug abuse andfor treating people such as drug users, prisoners, sexworkers and labour migrants with HIV.

Under a separate regional HIV/AIDS project funded inpart by the OPEC Fund for International Development,UNODC supported Central Asian countries andAzerbaijan in the implementation of HIV preventionand treatment programmes aimed at helping injectingdrug users and prisoners. National expert groups andUNODC conducted an assessment of legal and norma-tive frameworks to develop recommendations foramendments to national laws enabling universalaccess to HIV prevention, treatment and care. Draftlegal assessment reports are due in 2008.

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Heroin seizure in Turkmenistan. Photo: UNODC/Stefano Berterame


Afghanistan Opium Survey 2007The “Rainbow Strategy” (2007)Regional Study on Drug Use and HIV/AIDS: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

Children like this young girl are prized in the carpetindustry for their small, nimble fingers. Photo: Kay Chernush for the U.S. State Department

Human trafficking is an abominable crime that hasno place in the twenty-first century. Victims arerecruited, trapped and sold, sometimes to the highestbidder, for sexual and commercial exploitation. Mostvictims are women and young girls forced into pros-titution or domestic servitude. Trafficked men work infields, mines and quarries under dirty and dangerousconditions. Boys and girls are trafficked into childlabour, in such industries as textiles, fishing or agri-culture.

Human traffickers prey on the poor, the vulnerable andthe weak. Lured by the promise of a better life, victimsare often duped. Many are trafficked from developingcountries to rich ones, while other traffickers exploitrural communities, forcing inhabitants into cheaplabour within their own countries.

Held captive without identity papers and money, vic-tims of human trafficking are powerless. Many aresubjected to physical or psychological abuse.Traffickers also threaten to harm the victims’ familiesto deter them from fleeing. Many are ill: HIV/AIDSand other sexually transmitted diseases are commonamong women and girls forced into prostitution.

At any given time, millions of people are suffering theexploitation of trafficking. Because data are hard tocome by, many fear this is but a fraction of the realnumber. No country is immune. UNODC reports thatvictims from 127 countries undergo exploitation in135 nations.

Human trafficking is big business. Experts, includingat the United Nations, estimate the total market value

of human trafficking at $32 billion, of which some $10billion is drawn from the initial “sale” of individualswhile the remainder represents the estimated profitsmade from the victims’ work.

TTaakkiinngg aaccttiioonn

UNODC is custodian of the United Nations Protocol toPrevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,Especially Women and Children. Adopted in 2000, it isthe key global instrument to fight this form of mod-ern-day slavery. Since it entered into force in 2003,more than 115 countries have signed the Protocol.

To combat this scourge, UNODC is spearheading theGlobal Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT),an innovative programme whose ultimate mission isnothing less than the eradication of human trafficking.

The launch of UN.GIFT on 26 March 2007 in London’sHouse of Lords resonated with historic significance.The date marked 200 years since the trans-Atlanticslave trade was abolished and since the Parliament ofthe United Kingdom had passed legislation outlawingthe slave trade in the British Empire.

At the launch, UNODC Executive Director AntonioMaria Costa summed up the work to be done. “Wehave to decrease the number of victims by preventingtrafficking, we have to increase the number of victimswho are rescued and supported and we have toincrease the number of traffickers who are convicted.We have the tools to do this, but we do not have thepolitical will, large-scale public awareness or theresources to make it happen.”

human trafficking

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Human trafficking: aa ccrriimmee tthhaatt sshhaammeess uuss aallll

““II aappppllaauudd tthhee UUnniitteedd NNaattiioonnss--lleedd GGlloobbaall IInniittiiaattiivvee ttoo FFiigghhtt HHuummaann TTrraaffffiicckkiinngg.. LLeett uuss ttaakkee aaccttiioonn ttoo pprreevveenntt aannyy mmoorree vviiccttiimmss ffrroomm hhaavviinngg tthheeiirr ddrreeaammss ooff aa bbeetttteerr ffuuttuurree ttuurrnn iinnttoo nniigghhttmmaarreess ooff eexxppllooiittaattiioonn aanndd sseerrvviittuuddee””..

Former Secretary-General Kofi Annanaddressing both Houses of Parliament, London, 8 May 2007


26

UN.GIFT is based on a simple principle: human traf-ficking is a crime of such magnitude and atrocity thatit cannot be dealt with successfully by anyGovernment alone. The Initiative focuses on enlistingsupport, rallying forces and coordinating the world’sresources to do battle against powerful crime syndi-cates. It aims to spur Governments, international insti-tutions, civil society, corporations and the internation-al media to build alliances and take action.

UN.GIFT, which was made possible by a grant of theGovernment of the United Arab Emirates, has a three-fold line of attack: • Building Awareness • Broadening the knowledge base of data, facts and

statistics on human trafficking worldwide

• Stepping up technical assistance

Firstly, it seeks to build awareness of human traffick-ing. Although knowledge of human trafficking isspreading, awareness still remains low, making poten-tial victims even more vulnerable. Increased awarenesscontributes to the implementation of effective preven-tion efforts by alerting potential victims about the dan-gers of human trafficking, reducing demand for servic-es and products that rely on bonded labour, protectingvictims and improving law enforcement methods.

UN.GIFT takes an innovative approach to awareness-raising by giving civil society and the private sector alarger role than before and by gaining leverage fromthese partnerships.

HHoollllyywwoooodd ffiillmm hhiigghhlliigghhttss pplliigghhtt ooff vviiccttiimmss ooff hhuummaann ttrraaffffiicckkiinngg

Trade, a film that shines a spotlight on the underground world ofhuman trafficking, premiered in September at United Nationsheadquarters in New York.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UNODC Executive DirectorAntonio Maria Costa, the film’s producers, director and actors, aswell as numerous Hollywood stars attended the screening. TheSecretary-General expressed the hope that everyone who saw thefilm would feel compelledto take action againsthuman trafficking.

Trade follows the story of a13-year-old Mexican girl

(Paulina Gaitán) and a young Polish woman (Alicja Bachleda) as they arekidnapped by traffickers in Mexico and transported for sale in the UnitedStates. As they make their brutal journey north, the young girl’s olderbrother (César Ramos) and a Texan policeman (Kevin Kline) set off on adesperate and dangerous rescue attempt. The film was directed by MarcoKreuzpaintner and produced by Roland Emmerich and Rosilyn Heller. Thenarrative of Trade was inspired by “The Girls Next Door,” a 2004 New YorkTimes Magazine article by Peter Landesman.

Proceeds from the benefit premiere were used to support the anti-traffick-ing work of UNODC and Equality Now, an NGO. A percentage of the pro-ceeds made by Trade at the box office during its first week of screeningwas also donated to UN.GIFT.

Kevin Kline, star of Trade, and actressSigourney Weaver attend the premiere ofTrade. Photo: UN Photo/Nikolas Previn

Trade poster, courtesy of Lion'sGate Films

Secondly, UN.GIFT aims to improve and expand thekind of information available on human trafficking.This may well prove to be the greatest challenge facingthe Initiative, for the clandestine nature of the crime isa significant hurdle to gathering relevant and usefuldata. To formulate an effective anti-trafficking strate-gy, much more information is needed on the extent,geographic spread and many forms of the crime. Theabsence of reliable facts and statistics hinders effortsto identify the factors that lead people to engage inhuman trafficking, establish best practices to prevent itor assess its impact. UN.GIFT aims to collect betterdata, develop joint research initiatives and deepenanalysis.

Thirdly, UN.GIFT focuses on helping individual Statesto fight trafficking. This stepped-up technical assis-tance will include manuals for law enforcement agen-cies, judges, prosecutors, and victim support groups, aswell as fact sheets for use in raising awareness anddrafting legislation to aid national programmes. Theprogramme will develop two tools: one to standardizethe methodologies used in collecting and analysingnational data; the other to aid the collection andanalysis of best practices in anti-human traffickinglegislation.

As custodian of the Trafficking in Persons Protocol,UNODC is managing UN.GIFT in cooperation with theInternational Labour Organization, the InternationalOrganization for Migration, the United NationsChildren’s Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the HighCommissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and theOrganization for Security and Cooperation in Europe(OSCE).

TTuurrnniinngg tthhee ttiiddee aaggaaiinnsstt hhuummaann ttrraaffffiicckkiinngg

Throughout 2007, a number of events took placearound the world in the framework of UN.GIFT.

The first event took up the issue of human traffickingin conflict and post-conflict countries and was held in Kampala from 19 to 22 June. It involvedtraining peacekeeping forces to prevent and detecttrafficking.

The conference, organized by UNODC, the EasternAfrica Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization andInterpol, developed a regional action plan that includ-

ed concrete steps to tackle issues like prevention, thelegislative framework and law enforcement techniques.

From 2 to 4 October, a regional event took place inBrasilia, where efforts focused on the development of anational action plan for Brazil.

In Thailand, a simultaneous regional event focused on criminal justice responses to trafficking in persons.The workshop, which was hosted by UNODC and the Government of Thailand with support fromGovernment of Australia, looked at the investigation,prosecution and adjudication of trafficking cases with-in the framework of international standards andemerging good practices.

A major event took place in South Africa from 3 to 5October, entitled “Interfaith dialogue: what the religiouscommunity can do to combat human trafficking”. Theevent, which was the first to have brought together reli-gious leaders from all faiths and NGOs working onhuman trafficking, was organized by the Government ofSouth Africa and the Archbishop of Cape Town.Participants agreed on a Cape Town Declaration.

On 9 and 10 October, the Ministry of Foreign Affairsof Turkey chaired a conference on human traffickingin the Black Sea region to identify ways to improvecooperation between law enforcement and NGOs forthe referral of victims of trafficking.

Participants agreed to place the issue of human traf-ficking high on the agenda of the Budapest Process, aninter-governmental forum on migration in theEuropean region which is currently chaired by Turkey.

27

human trafficking

EErriicc WWaaiinnaaiinnaa, amusician and UNODCadvocate in Africa,uses his voice andmusic to addresssocial issues, such ashuman trafficking. Atthe beginning of aconference in Kenya,

Eric invited participants to join him in being vocaland “making a noise” against human trafficking.


28

On 10 and 11 October, a major conference in Indialooked at “Responding to trafficking for sexualexploitation in South Asia.” Participants consideredways to raise awareness of the problem through newpartnerships with the private sector, media and artists.Major Bollywood stars, including John Abraham,showed their support at a gala event. The DelhiDeclaration recognized the need to reduce demand forprostitution and the use of child and forced labour.

In Lithuania, another conference, also held in October,emphasized the role of the media in preventing traf-ficking in persons. The event was jointly organizedwith the Government of Lithuania and OSCE.

At the end of October, the League of Arab States, withUNODC support, held a workshop in Egypt to reviewthe status of Arab legislation for combating traffickingin persons. A regional action plan was discussed.

In November, a UN.GIFT regional conference in Côted’Ivoire picked up the theme of the June East Africaconference on conflict and post-conflict zones butfocused more particularly on “Trafficking in childrenfor their use in armed conflict”. Participants recom-mended setting up a trust fund for child victims.

On 13 and 14 December, a round table to combathuman trafficking aimed at strengthening coopera-tion and coordination among partners in Belarus,Moldova, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and theCentral Asian countries was held in Kyrgyzstan.

FFooccuuss oonn IInnddiiaa

“To combat organized crime, we need to beorganized, all of us,” says superstar actorAmitabh Bachchan. “Come, join me in this globalfight.”

UUNNOODDCC,, IInnddiiaann ffiillmm--mmaakkeerrss pprroodduuccee aannttii--ttrraaffffiicckkiinnggtteelleevviissiioonn ssppoottUNODC commissioned a two-minute video spot entitled “One Life, No Price”, to sensitize millions of moviegoers tothis form of modern-day slavery and galvanize people to take action against it. The spot, which comes before thefeature film Welcome, showcases major Bollywood names such as Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. It was producedby Base Industries Group in collaboration with the NGO Prajwala.

IInn AApprriill 22000066, UNODC launched an effort to strengthen the ability of police officers and prosecutors to tacklehuman trafficking in India. By the end of December 2007, Indian law enforcement authorities had registered 632such crimes and rescued 1,036 victims, including 143 minors, in 105 rescue operations. They arrested 1,383 traf-fickers and 469 customers who were found indulging in the commercial sexual exploitation of trafficked victims.In two separate prosecutions, four traffickers were convicted by the courts.

In South Africa, an interfaith dialogue brought togetherreligious leaders and NGOs working in human trafficking.Photo: UNODC South Africa

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human trafficking

TThhee cchhiillddrreenn ooff ccoonnfflliicctt:: pprrootteeccttiinngg tthhee mmoosstt vvuullnneerraabblleeCountries in West and Central Africa bear scars from many wars. One of the most tragic legacies is that of lostchildren: victims of conflict who become victims of human trafficking. Children are particularly vulnerable to traf-ficking, especially when separated from their families.

For boys, this has all too often meant recruitment as foot soldiers in West Africa’s civil wars. Young children totemachine guns almost larger than themselves. They submit to warlords in order to survive. Part of their initiationinvolves taking drugs. This blunts their fear and pain and makes them ever-more dependent on their masters. Theylearn to wield their deadly weapons with indif-ference, transformed from innocent children intodrug-crazed killers. Drug treatment mustbecome an integral part of post-conflict rehabil-itation.

They are victims, but they are often treated ascriminals. Governments must go after the realvillains, the thugs who recruit children into con-flict and commit rape and other forms of sexualabuse against girls and women.

The misery does not necessarily end when thewarlords lay down their weapons. Internally dis-placed people and refugees are highly vulnera-ble. Extra effort is needed to ensure that safehavens do not become recruiting grounds fortraffickers. Aid agency workers must look out forpredators and host countries must provide suffi-cient security.

After depriving them of their childhoods, theirmasters may continue to exploit the children bymoving them to new conflict zones, recyclingtheir skills for profit or depriving them of theadvantages and opportunities of rehabilitationprogrammes.


Trafficking in Persons: Global Patterns (2006)Toolkit to Combat Trafficking in Persons (2006)

Children involved in wars are robbed of their opportunityto live a normal life. They are often forcibly taken as sol-diers (Ethiopia). Photo: Howard G. Buffett

In April, UNODC staff members and GoodwillAmbassador Alessandro Scotti witnessed aseizure of more than 600 kilos of cocaine inGuinea-Bissau. Photo: Alessandro Scotti

African shores are under attack. Drug traffickers eagerto respond to European and North American cocainedemand are establishing new routes through WestAfrica to outwit effective law enforcement safeguard-ing more traditional paths. They are shipping SouthAmerican cocaine through West Africa and Afghanheroin through East Africa. Criminal networks alsosmuggle migrants. They traffic in human beings, smallarms, light weapons and natural resources. They com-mit e-fraud and counterfeit crimes; they dump toxicwaste illegally.

What follows is a glimpse of two of the main organ-ized crime challenges facing the continent, particularlyWest Africa, namely the drugs trade and migrantsmuggling.

GGuuiinneeaa--BBiissssaauu:: tthhee hhaarrddeesstt tteesstt

West Africa has become a hub for cocaine traffickingfrom South America to Europe, according to a reportissued by UNODC. In Cocaine Trafficking in WestAfrica: The threat to stability and development, it isreported that some 33 tons of cocaine, a drug notproduced in Africa, has been seized since 2005.Presented by UNODC Executive Director AntonioMaria Costa to the Security Council in December, thereport suggested that this might be just the tip of theiceberg. UNODC estimated that in 2007 alone around40 tons of cocaine passed through West Africa. Aquarter of all cocaine consumed in Europe now tran-sits through the region. Its wholesale value in Europeis $1.8 billion.

Guinea-Bissau is one of the countries most affected bythis phenomenon. The country is emerging fromdecades of conflict. While most people live in poverty,some are tremendously wealthy because of cocaine.Illegal drugs are swamping the country’s tiny exporteconomy. The value of the cocaine transiting throughthe region exceeds the entire national income, roughlythe equivalent of the wholesale value of six tons ofcocaine in Europe. Law enforcement is woefully under-resourced; its budget is less than the value of theseizures of the past two years. Guinea Bissau risksbecoming a “narcostate”.

European demand for cocaine is booming, but betterlaw enforcement has thwarted the traditional smug-gling routes through the Caribbean and into NorthAmerica and Europe. Dealers have been forced to findnew passages. “A sniff here and a sniff there in Europeare causing another disaster in Africa, to add to itspoverty, its mass unemployment and its pandemics”was how UNODC Executive Director Antonio MariaCosta summed up the situation.

Guinea-Bissau is a convenient depot on the shortestand most direct route to Europe from Andean nations.Latin American drug runners prize its unguardedcoastline and sparsely populated interior. They use fakefishing boats to bring their cargo. There is also grow-ing evidence of shipments by air.

High-level corruption and the near-total absence of therule of law allow drug gangs to operate with impunity.Law enforcement has no control: there is a lack ofmanpower, basic equipment and infrastructure. Evenwhen arrested, international drug traffickers are sel-dom sentenced. The country does not have a singleprison.

West Africa’s many troubled States are defencelessagainst the onslaught. Guinea-Bissau’s problems arespilling over and destabilizing vulnerable neighbourssuch as Cape Verde, Ghana and Mauritania. In Senegal,police officers made their biggest-ever drug seizureand arrested South Americans trafficking more than2,400 kg of cocaine, worth more than $200 million inEurope.

IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall ccoommmmuunniittyy ccoonnffrroonnttss sseeccuurriittyytthhrreeaatt

The Security Council called for international supportfor Guinea-Bissau in September. It expressed particularconcern for the safety of local officials fighting drugtrafficking and organized crime and stressed the needto protect them. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moonreported in December that an increasing “socialmalaise aggravated by a widespread perception thatState institutions were adrift” had marked past monthsin Guinea-Bissau.

africa under attack

31

AAffrriiccaa under attack


32

In post-conflict countries like Guinea-Bissau, recon-struction and development must start with security and justice. In December, recognizing that the country could not surmount these challenges alone,the Security Council helped put Guinea-Bissau on the agenda of the United Nations PeacebuildingCommission, which was established to help war-torncountries avoid relapsing into conflict. The Councilalso noted the “progress made by the Government,with the support of the international community andthe United Nations system, in particular UNODC,towards developing a robust anti-narcotics traffickingprogramme”.

Briefing the Council, Mr. Costa urged the internationalcommunity to ensure that Guinea-Bissau receivedenough short-term assistance to avert collapse. He saidthat a few basic measures, such as a financial intelli-gence unit, an anti-corruption agency, a modernprison and better trained and paid judges, could have amajor impact.

UUNNOODDCC rreessppoonnddss

UNODC has drawn up a plan to combat drug traffick-ing in West Africa. At a pledging conference held in

Lisbon in December, it called for $20 million in inter-national assistance to provide expertise, equipmentand training to help Guinea-Bissau patrol its borders,destroy drug consignments, block money-launderingand arrest traffickers. It also called for the establish-ment of specialized units within the judicial police.

Four UNODC initiatives have addressed the dearth ofinformation on crime, the security services, legal needsand communications between airports on traffickingroutes. The Office has also worked under the auspicesof the security reform programmes of the EuropeanCommission and the European Council for Guinea-Bissau, which aim to boost the skills of all securityforces.

In June, UNODC launched a legal advisory programmeto strengthen law enforcement and intelligence coop-eration against cocaine trafficking between LatinAmerica and West Africa. Financed by the EuropeanCommission with an in-kind contribution from Spain,the programme, which runs until 31 December 2009,aims to reduce significantly the amount of illicitcocaine entering the European Union. The target coun-tries in West Africa are Cape Verde, the Gambia,Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Togo. In Latin

Judicial police officers in Guinea-Bissau. Photo: Alessandro Scotti

America, they are Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peruand Venezuela, as well as the Caribbean countries. Theproject will train and equip law enforcement and intel-ligence services to cooperate in intelligence gatheringand sharing operations. UNODC sent assessment mis-sions to all the West African countries involved. It isputting together a plan to install databases in nationalcentres.

Cooperation between UNODC and Interpol in WestAfrica got under way in 2007. UNODC prepared twonew initiatives for enabling real-time communicationbetween officers at airports along drug trafficking routesin Africa, one against cocaine trafficking in the Westand one against heroin trafficking in the East. AirportCommunications Project (AIRCOP) West and AIRCOPEast, which are based on a border control initiative ofthe Economic Community of West African States, willenhance cooperation and information exchange betweenlaw enforcement agencies monitoring airports and helpcombat drug trafficking by air couriers.

UNODC has stationed an expert in Bissau, the capitalof Guinea-Bissau. In partnership with national, bilater-al and international partners, the expert will develop aplan to train and equip personnel and draft legal pro-visions to create the framework needed to establish aspecialized unit within the judicial police to combatdrug trafficking and organized crime.

The UNODC Executive Director has also appointed an adviser to help identify needs in criminal justicereform. The adviser will review the correctional services and international cooperation in criminalmatters, particularly for combating and preventingdrug trafficking, organized crime, terrorism and corruption.

CCaappee VVeerrddee:: aann iinntteeggrraatteedd pprrooggrraammmmee ttoo ffiigghhttccooccaaiinnee ttrraaffffiicckkiinngg

UNODC developed a comprehensive package of meas-ures to reduce the risk of Cape Verde being used fortrafficking operations.

The “Data for Africa” project that was set up in 2006assists African countries and the international commu-nity in monitoring and tackling the links betweendrugs and crime on the continent. It seeks to provideinsight into socio-economic development and the

criminal justice system. Since its launch, the projecthas supported a number of national and regional ini-tiatives, such as surveys carried out in Cape Verde.

The ambitious Cape Verde Integrated Crime andNarcotics Programme was developed by UNODC in2005 with support from the European Commission tobolster counter-trafficking efforts. In 2007, an innova-tive partnership with Interpol and the Department ofJustice of the United States led to the installation of aReal-time Analytical Intelligence Database in theOffice of the Attorney-General, the headquarters of thejudicial police and the Central Bank of Cape Verde.Plans were in the pipeline to bring it to the NationalIntelligence Agency. The database will assist CapeVerde in fighting terrorism, corruption and money-laundering. The United States Federal Bureau ofInvestigations, the Guardia Civil of Spain, the RoyalCanadian Mounted Police, the Brazilian Federal Policeand UNODC developed specialized training pro-grammes to boost the results of investigations andoperational efficiency. This training will benefitinstructors from the judicial police and the nationalpolice, judges, prosecutors and financial sector special-ists on money-laundering, asset recovery and forfei-ture operations.

The programme against organized crime and drug traf-ficking in Cape Verde kicked off with intelligence-ledinvestigation courses for the judicial police. A nationaldrug and crime intelligence database was establishedat the headquarters of the judicial police in the capital,Praia.

The programme also improved the drug testing capa-bilities of the national forensic laboratory so that itcould meet international standards. The programmecan deliver just-in-time forensic assistance to otherWest African countries.

Following the establishment of joint border controlteams at the seaport and airport of Praia, each teamreceived transport and search equipment.

MMeeaassuurriinngg tthhee iimmppaacctt

Clearly defining and evaluating the impact of lawenforcement operations is difficult. Seizures and arrestsdo not give the full picture, making it difficult for thepublic, the potential victims of criminal activities, and

33

africa under attack


law enforcement agencies, to understand the trueimpact that operations have.

The built-in evaluation component of the IntegratedCrime and Narcotics Programme overcomes this prob-lem and provides decision-makers and technicalexperts with the clearest possible picture of achieve-ments and failures. As part of the Programme, “crimevictim surveys” were carried out among the public andlaw enforcement officers. The Government of CapeVerde published the results of these surveys, whichreveal the perceptions people have of corruption andcrime in that country. These results will be comparedwith those of a similar survey to be carried out at theend of the programme so that the programme’s impactcan be measured.

EEaasstt AAffrriiccaa ffiigghhttss hheerrooiinn ttrraaffffiicckkiinngg aanndd iittssddeeaaddllyy eeffffeeccttss

Injecting drug use in East Africa is increasing. UNODCcontinued to support an extensive outreach pro-gramme to reduce this activity and the related spreadof HIV/AIDS in Kenya by helping the Government andlocal NGOs to promote preventive measures. The pro-ject targets vulnerable populations, including injectingdrug users, sex workers and prison inmates. It buildsthe skills of staff working for the Government andNGOs, creates a large network of drug abuse and

HIV/AIDS prevention advocates and care providers andpromotes community health outreach programmes.

SSmmuugggglliinngg ooff AAffrriiccaann mmiiggrraannttss

The smuggling of migrants from Africa is emerging asa grave problem, as people try to flee poverty at anycost. Some 300,000 Africans attempt to enter Europeillegally each year. Organized crime groups often havea hand in this profitable business which sees desperatemigrants willing to pay steep smugglers’ fees. Manywho attempt the trip die, either by drowning or suc-cumbing to the parched terrain of the Sahara.

Migrants attempt to reach Europe from North Africa,particularly from Morocco, which is located just kilo-metres away from mainland Spain and the CanaryIslands. Even more directly, some try to cross intoEurope via the Spanish enclaves in Morocco of Ceutaand Melilla. Recent crackdowns by Moroccan andSpanish law enforcement authorities have made thistransit route less viable, leading people to seek alterna-tive routes, including to the Canary Islands from WestAfrica, or to Italy via Libya and Tunisia.

For many West Africans, the journey begins inSenegal, Mali or Niger. The better-off take large craftto the Canary Islands. For the poor, flimsy fishing ves-sels are the only option. Crime syndicates also smuggle

Irregular Malianand Mauritanianmigrants awaitingtheir departuretowards Europe’s“El Dorado” at the port ofNouadhibou inMauritania.Photo: UNODCSenegal

irregular migrants from Bangladesh, China, India andPakistan, often leaving them stranded until they findenough money to make the voyage north.

The adoption, in 2000, of the Protocol against theSmuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air by theGeneral Assembly marked a significant milestone ininternational efforts to tackle this crime. The Protocolaims at preventing and combating the smuggling ofmigrants, as well as promoting cooperation amongStates, while protecting the rights of victims and pre-venting their exploitation.

UUNNOODDCC aaccttss aaggaaiinnsstt mmiiggrraanntt ssmmuugggglliinngg iinnWWeesstt AAffrriiccaa

Based on the findings of its 2006 report entitledOrganized Crime and Irregular Migration from Africato Europe, in 2007 UNODC launched an integratedprogramme against migrant smuggling that coveredWest and North Africa and Mauritania. The pro-gramme aims: to expose and block smuggling routes;improve information-sharing among States; raiseawareness of the dangers involved in this crime; build

law enforcement capacity and improve bilateral andregional cooperation, in particular with regard to bor-der control; develop national legislation in line withthe Protocol; and provide technical assistance.

The programme will help those who are on the front-line dealing with this challenge: law enforcement offi-cials, border guards and legal experts. The UNODCprogramme will bring together national experts toexamine conditions at key smuggling points, proposesolutions, review technical assistance needs and pro-mote the exchange of information.

UNODC identified Senegal as the country with themost urgent needs and presented an initiative to theEuropean Commission, whose Rapid ReactionMechanism funded the project. Launched in July andcompleted in December, UNODC assisted Senegal intranslating the provisions of the Migrants Protocol intonational legislation. Senegal now has the first lawagainst the smuggling of migrants, providing a modelfor other West and Central African States.

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africa under attack


Cocaine Trafficking in West Africa: The threat to stability and development (2007)Cocaine Trafficking in Western Africa: Situation Report (2007)Organized Crime and Irregular Migration from Africa to Europe (2006)

Former gang member imprisoned in Guatemala,where violent crime is a major problem.Photo: Julieta Bendana

Drug trafficking is fuelling violent crime in CentralAmerica and the Caribbean, creating a serious obstacleto economic development, according to two separatereports released in May.

“The countries of Central America and the Caribbeanare caught in the cross-fire, trapped between theworld’s biggest suppliers and consumers of cocaine,”said Executive Director of UNODC Antonio MariaCosta. South America produces an estimated 900 tonsof cocaine annually, worth some $60 billion in theUnited States and Europe. These massive profits dwarfthe legitimate economies of transit nations, which con-sume very little of the cocaine smuggled throughthem.

Both regions report some of the highest recordedhomicide rates in the world. The spread of guns, anasty side effect of the drug trade, is exacerbating theviolence.

Crime is stifling the economies of States in the region;where violent crime and corruption flourish, develop-ment lags and democracy itself is undermined. Drugtrafficking diverts criminal justice resources from otherpriorities and weakens law enforcement.

Many of these problems stem from outside the region.Robust international support is needed to solve them;the burden is squarely on rich countries to curb theirdemand for cocaine.

The following chapter examines the effects of thecocaine trade in Central America and the Caribbeanand describes UNODC projects to stem the flow ofdrugs and arms coming from Colombia, a major sourceof the drug.

TThhee CCaarriibbbbeeaann,, oorr tthhee ddaarrkk ssiiddee ooff ppaarraaddiissee

Drug traffickers looking to feed Europe’s unprecedent-ed appetite for cocaine have exploited routes throughthe Caribbean, lured by their long, unpatrolled coast-lines and limited law enforcement capacity.

Annual cocaine use has increased markedly in manyEuropean countries in recent years, with the euro’sadvance against the dollar providing yet anotherincentive for traffickers; one kilo of cocaine now sellsfor about $50,000 in Europe, compared with $30,000in the United States.

In Crime, Violence and Development: Trends, Costs andPolicy Options in the Caribbean, a joint report ofUNODC and the World Bank, drug trafficking isblamed for rising rates of homicide and gun prolifera-tion.

The Caribbean region suffers from the world’s highestmurder rates, some 30 per 100,000 people annually. In2007, young people were disproportionately represent-ed among the ranks of homicide victims and perpetra-tors, with youth homicide rates in several Caribbeancountries significantly above the world average.Overall assault rates were also significantly above theworld average.

According to the report, “crime is undermining growth,threatening human welfare and impeding social devel-opment”.

Crime hurts business. Without action, tourism, a main-stay of the economy and an industry dependent onpositive consumer perceptions, may suffer. Estimatessuggest that if Haiti and Jamaica were to reduce their

caught in the crossfire

37

CCaauugghhtt iinn tthhee ccrroossss--ffiirree:: drugs and crime in Central America and the Caribbean


38

homicide rates to those of Costa Rica, a country con-sidered to be fairly stable, both countries would see a5.4 per cent increase in annual growth. Reducing thehomicide rate in the Caribbean by one third couldmore than double regional economic growth.

CCeennttrraall AAmmeerriiccaa:: aa ccooccaaiinnee ppiippeelliinnee ttoo tthheennoorrtthh

Central America faces similar problems. As reported ina study entitled Crime and Development in CentralAmerica: Caught in the Crossfire, high rates of crimeand violence spurred by drug trafficking underminegrowth and impede social development.

Some 88 per cent of the cocaine destined for theUnited States transits through the Central America andMexico corridor.

Central America is awash in firearms, a legacy ofdecades of bloody conflict. Gang violence is a majorproblem in countries such as El Salvador, Guatemalaand Honduras, but the gangs alone cannot be blamedfor the drug trafficking and the violence that afflictsthese societies.

Crime is strongly associated with certain social andeconomic vulnerabilities, all of which are present in

Central America. Here, countries rank among theworld’s most unequal in terms of income. Severalnations show secondary school enrolment rates below50 per cent and a large and idle youthful populationcan become a pool of potential offenders.

Crime perpetuates underdevelopment by driving awaybusiness, eroding human capital and underminingdemocracy. Years of rampant crime have robbedCentral America of private investment. “The warningsigns are evident in this report—gun-related crime,gang violence, kidnapping, the proliferation of privatesecurity companies,” said Mr. Costa, “But these prob-lems are in no way inherent to the region. They can beovercome.”

CCoommmmoonn pprroobblleemmss,, ccoommmmoonn ssoolluuttiioonnss

Both reports suggest that aggressive policing alone isnot the answer to youth crime and stress the need toaddress the problems at their roots, by providingyoung people with work and other alternatives to vio-lence.

In the Caribbean, several countries have invested inthis public health approach, setting up after-schoolclubs, adopting mentoring programmes and takingother steps to keep high-risk young adults in schoollonger.

In the Dominican Republic, for example, citizen securi-ty approaches combined with modern policing meth-ods have shown promise. Slum-upgrading projects,youth development initiatives and criminal justice sys-tem reform could contribute to reducing crime andviolence.

Strategies for preventing crime in Central Americashould involve all sectors of Government and includeeducation, housing and health issues, the report said.Development projects should always include a crimeprevention component but also recognize that criminaljustice reform and democratic community policing arealso essential.

But the reports also noted that many problems, such asthose related to organized crime, drugs and firearmstrafficking, defy crime prevention initiatives. Withrespect to the Caribbean region specifically, the effi-ciency of the criminal justice system should be

Scene from a Jamaican television drama about growing upin tough inner-city communities where drugs and crimeare widespread. The drama was jointly produced byUNODC, UNDP and UNESCO.

improved by enhancing the way information is shared,tracking the performance of justice, monitoring reformand increasing accountability to the public, the reportsaid.

Poor countries in Central America tend to have poorlyresourced criminal justice systems, which is whyHonduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, have low ratiosof police officers to citizens. This means that there arelow conviction rates and, consequently, that the deter-rent effect of law is minimal. Stronger justice systemswould help to root out corruption and restore publicconfidence in the rule of law. This, is turn, would cre-ate a fertile environment for economic growth andattract foreign investment, thereby promoting develop-ment.

Both reports make a final key point on tackling drugtrafficking and related violence. Many issues facingboth regions stem from the demand for drugs in theUnited States and Europe. The problems transcendnational and even regional boundaries. Neither region

has sufficient resources to fight the drug trade alone;each will need greater international assistance. In addition to drug demand from abroad, theCaribbean report noted that many weapons are traf-ficked from outside the region. Deported criminals aresent home from Canada, the United Kingdom and theUnited States to countries with little capacity toreceive them. Given the transboundary nature of theseissues, the report argued that donors and States mem-bers of the Organization for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment should work together with Caribbeancountries to reduce levels of crime.

Since the Caribbean islands have limited resources tofight the drug trade, consumer countries should pro-vide significant assistance to bolster law enforcement.

The report on Central America highlighted the need forgreater international support for the region if develop-ment efforts are to have any long-term impact. Noissue today affects the stability and development ofCentral America more than crime, it said.

39

caught in the crossfire

UUNNOODDCC aanndd CCoolloommbbiiaann aauutthhoorriittiieess ddeessttrrooyy aallmmoosstt 1144,,000000ffiirreeaarrmmss oonn IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall GGuunn DDeessttrruuccttiioonn DDaayyA meltdown of nearly 14,000 firearms took place on 9July, International Gun Destruction Day. Organized byUNODC, the Colombian Ministry of Defence, the nationalarmed forces and the “Vida Sagrada” programme, thisspecial ceremony highlighted the danger of illegal armsproliferation. Of the firearms scheduled for destruction, 77per cent had been bought illegally. Of those, 60 per centhad been manufactured illegally, 31 per cent were pri-vately owned and 9 per cent belonged to the armedforces.

Colombia has one of the highest homicide rates in theworld. In 2005, 70 per cent of the more than 17,000 reg-istered homicides were committed with firearms. Citiesregistering the highest numbers of legal firearms werealso those showing the lowest homicide rates. Conversely,cities with the highest murder rates were those with thelowest number of legal arms. Most homicides in Colombiaare connected with the illegal ownership, manufactureand trade of firearms.

The ceremony was supported by the national iron andsteel company, Siderúrgica Nacional (Sidenal S.A.). The

molten metal went towards the manufacture of schoolchairs and the construction of a monument in memory ofthe victims of violence and kidnapping in Colombia.

In 2006, UNODC published a study entitled Violence,Crime and Illegal Arms Trafficking in Colombia, in which itwas reported that Colombia needed to do more to crackdown on organized crime and arms trafficking, includingthrough the application of stiffer penalties for carrying ordealing in illegal arms.

Firearms destruction in Colombia, 9 July. Photo: UNODC Colombia


40

UUNNOODDCC pprreesseennttss eessccooppeettaarrrraass ttoo ffaammoouuss ppeerrssoonnaalliittiieessUNODC presented an electric guitar made from an AK-47rifle to Irish rock star Bob Geldof in Cartagena, Colombia,in January. The instrument, a modern-day example ofturning swords into ploughshares, is known as anescopetarra, a word coined by merging the Spanish wordsfor “shotgun” (escopeta) and “guitar” (guitarra).

Colombian musician César López invented the escopetarrain 2003. The first escopetarra and all subsequent versionshave been made with rifles that were used in violent con-flict. Since 2003, César has worked closely with UNODCColombia to raise awareness about the myriad problemscaused by gun-related violence in his country.

UNODC also presented an escopetarra to former UnitedNations Secretary-General Kofi Annan when he visited theUnited Nations Office in Vienna in July. It is hoped thatgiving escopetarras will help to draw attention to theefforts being made by UNODC to limit the spread offirearms worldwide.

In 2005 UNODC became the custodian of the FirearmsProtocol, which supplements the United NationsConvention against Transnational Organized Crime.

Bob Geldof receives an escopetarra from César López.Photo: UNODC Colombia


Cocaine Trafficking in West Africa: The threat to stability and development (2007)Cocaine Trafficking in Western Africa: Situation Report (2007)Organized Crime and Irregular Migration from Africa to Europe (2006)

Commemorations in Guinea-Bissau on 9 December,the International Day against Corruption. The slogansays “corruption, your ‘NO’ counts”.Photo: UNODC Senegal/Théophane Patinvoh

In the last decade, the list of corrupt leaders whohave stolen billions of dollars from the countries theyruled has lengthened. Countries which aim to recoverassets stashed in foreign countries face dauntingobstacles.

Estimates of the cross-border flow of the global pro-ceeds from criminal activities, corruption and tax eva-sion are estimated to cream off between $1 and $1.6trillion from the global economy every year.

Assets stolen by corrupt leaders frequently amount tostaggering figures. But the true cost inflicted by such

leaders is far greater. Corruption degrades public insti-tutions, especially those involved in public financialmanagement and financial sector governance. It weak-ens, sometimes lethally, the private investment climate.It stunts the economic growth that could lift many outof poverty.

If corrupt officials steal from their country’s citizens,there is less money for education, health care androads, not to mention for a functioning justice system.Worse still, this kind of corruption leads people to becynical about democratic government and creates thebelief that bribery is inevitable. This undermines therule of law and legitimacy.

Recovered assets could provide much-needed fundingfor social programmes or infrastructure. Based on thefield work it has done in Africa, the World Bank esti-mates that every $100 million recovered could fundany of the following in developing countries:

• Between 3.3 and 10 million insecticide-treated bednets, which are twice as effective as regular bed netsfor preventing insect-borne illnesses such as malaria

• First-line treatment for more than 600,000 peoplewith HIV/AIDS for one year

• Between 50 and 100 million drug-based malariatreatments

• The full immunization of four million children• Approximately 250,000 water connections in house-

holds• 250 kilometres of two-lane paved roads

Asset recovery efforts that are accompanied by institu-tional reform and better governance should also bringabout significant and lasting benefits.

In order to prevent and resolve the problem of stolen assets, the premise of StAR is that both developed and developing countries must work inpartnership. While developing countries need toimprove governance and accountability, developednations should also stop providing a safe haven forstolen proceeds.

fighting corruption

43

FFiigghhttiinngg corruption

FFeerrddiinnaanndd MMaarrccoossConsider the case of Ferdinand Marcos. During his21 years in power in the Philippines, Marcos plun-dered State funds in a number of different ways,including by assuming control of large privateenterprises, raiding the public treasury and takingkickbacks.

He laundered money through shell corporationswhich invested funds in real estate in the UnitedStates or deposited them in domestic and offshorebanks under pseudonyms, in numbered accounts orin accounts with code names.

When Marcos was toppled in February 1986, thePhilippine authorities immediately initiated work torecover the stolen funds. That very month, theyestablished the Presidential Commission on GoodGovernment and tasked it with recovering Marcos’booty.

The dogged battle lasted 18 years—almost as longas it took Marcos to amass his ill-gotten gains—before it achieved any success.

Twelve years elapsed before the deposits made byMarcos were repatriated to the Philippine NationalBank; another six went by before the $624 millioninvolved was transferred to the Philippine Treasury.


44

SSttoolleenn AAsssseett RReeccoovveerryy IInniittiiaattiivvee

The Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Initiative, which waslaunched by the World Bank and UNODC at UnitedNations Headquarters, New York on 17 September, isdesigned to help developing States recover stolenassets and developed States to eliminate impedimentsto returning these vital assets.

“The Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative can foster greatercooperation between developed and developing coun-tries—and between the public and private sectors—toensure that looted assets are returned to their rightfulowners,” said United Nations Secretary General BanKi-moon.

Specifically, StAR is designed to take action in fourmain areas:

• Support developing countries in strengthening theirprosecuting agencies and bringing their laws intocompliance

• Strengthen the integrity of financial markets bybringing financial centres into compliance with leg-islation against money-laundering and enhancingcooperation among financial intelligence unitsaround the world

• Assist developing countries in recovering assets byproviding loans or grants to finance start-up costs,giving advice on hiring legal counsel and facilitatingcooperation between States

• Monitor the use of recovered assets so that repatriat-ed funds are used for development purposes, such asbetter education and infrastructure

In order to strengthen the collective effort to preventand tackle the problem of stolen assets, monitorprogress and provide advice, the initiative will beguided by the Friends of StAR, a group composed ofinfluential leaders from developed and developingcountries.

HHeellppiinngg ccoouunnttrriieess ttoo bbuuiilldd ccaappaacciittyy:: tthhee ccaassee ooff NNiiggeerriiaa

UNODC is implementing a project funded by theEuropean Commission to combat corruption in Nigeriaand recover assets stolen from that country by sup-porting the Economic and Financial CrimesCommission (EFCC). The EFCC leads the fight againstcorruption and money-laundering in Nigeria and is themost successful anti-corruption agency in Africa. Sinceits inception in 2004, the Commission has prosecutedmore than 400 cases, recovered or restrained assetsvalued at more than $5 billion and helped Nigeriareach the 147th position in TransparencyInternational’s Corruption Perception Index from lastin 2003 and third to last in 2005.

UNODC and the National Bureau of Statistics ofNigeria conducted a country-wide survey on the per-ception of corruption in the business sector. EFCC suc-cesses are contributing to a growing perception thatcorruption can be combated.

In 2007, UNODC helped bring about major technologi-cal innovations within the EFCC and its FinancialIntelligence Unit. UNODC upgraded their software used

SSaannii AAbbaacchhaaGeneral Sani Abacha looted billions from Nigeriawhen he headed the Government from 1993 to1998.

His death in 1998 triggered a hunt by domesticauthorities to recover these funds. The authorities,too, needed to overcome a number of obstacles, butthey made headway more swiftly than their coun-terparts in the Philippines had. In 2005, Nigeriareceived some $500 million as part of the restitu-tion of assets stolen by Abacha.

According to a World Bank review, Nigeria success-fully financed Millennium Development Goal proj-ects with these funds, devoting them to improvecitizens’ health and education and to build infra-structure in rural areas.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, RobertZoellick, President of the World Bank, and Antonio MariaCosta, Executive Director of UNODC, at the launch of the

StAR Initiative. Photos: World Bank/Alejandra Viveros

to combat money-laundering and made it compatiblewith the information technology systems of Nigerianbanks. It also ensured that this Financial IntelligenceUnit was accepted as a full member of the EgmontGroup of international Financial Intelligence Units. A new operations building was inaugurated in Abujain May and UNODC is equipping a forensic unit toenhance the operational effectiveness of the EFCC.

In August, the Netherlands authorities signed a fund-ing agreement worth $500,000 to create, with full theparticipation of the EFCC, a new project to promoteanti-corruption principles and ethics in the Nigerianbusiness sector.

Under the terms of the project funded by the EuropeanCommission, representatives of the judiciary from sixNigerian states held integrity meetings and producedaction plans for strengthening judicial integrity andbuilding capacity. The plans include provisions forfacilitating access to justice and developing and dis-seminating codes of conduct for judicial officers. Todate, 150 judicial officers and staff from the NationalJudicial Institute have been trained on alternative dis-pute resolution and 400 judicial officers have beentrained on judicial ethics.

PPrroommoottiinngg iinntteeggrriittyy iinn iinntteerrnnaattiioonnaall oorrggaanniizzaattiioonnss

The United Nations Convention against Corruption isthe first and only global response to the challengeposed by corruption worldwide. UNODC believes inter-national organizations should lead by example. Topractice what they preach, they should align theirintegrity rules with the principles of the Convention.

The Convention against Corruption addresses the cor-ruption of officials in public international organiza-tions like the United Nations, not only by includingthe first-ever definition of such an official, but also byestablishing it as a specific offence. The issue of thebribery of officials of public international organiza-tions presents legal complexities and has therefore

been placed on the agenda of the Conference of theStates Parties to the Convention against Corruption.

Addressing the corruption of international civil ser-vants is also an important internal issue for interna-tional organizations. Although the Convention appliesonly to Member States, the standards and principles itcontains can also help international organizations intheir efforts to stamp out corruption.

The aim is also to enhance the possibilities for Statesand organizations to cooperate in investigating allegedcases of corruption within international organizations.By criminalizing the bribery of officials of publicinternational organizations, the Convention againstCorruption reminds State Parties of their obligation tocomply with its provisions. This presents legal implica-tions related to issues such as privileges and immuni-ties, matters of jurisdictions and the role of interna-tional organizations.

UNODC launched an institutional integrity initiative, aprocess to be carried out within the agencies and pro-grammes making up the United Nations system. Theinitiative proposes a voluntary, system-wide review ofinternal rules and regulations and examines ways ofimproving the rate of compliance with the standards ofthe Convention. The proposal was endorsed in June bythe heads of the organizations belonging to the UnitedNations family, known collectively as the ChiefExecutive Board. UNODC requested the members ofthat Board to appoint representatives to initiate theinternal review. A checklist containing the relevantprinciples of the Convention against Corruption and aproposed action plan accompanied the proposal. Boardrepresentatives met in September to discuss the firstresults of the exercise.

Board members and interested States and organiza-tions will continue to advance the review process andto analyse ways of increasing cooperation betweenStates and organizations in the investigation of casesof alleged corruption involving officials of publicinternational organizations.

45

fighting corruption


Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Initiative: Challenges, Opportunities and Action Plan (2007)United Nations Convention against Corruption (2003)

The flag of the United Nations Headquarters in New Yorkflying at half-mast in honour of staff members who losttheir lives during a terrorist attack on the United Nationsoffices in Algiers.Photo: UN/DPI

As the year drew to a close, the United Nations officesin Algiers endured a deadly terrorist attack, yet anoth-er reminder of the importance of the work being doneby the United Nations in general and UNODC in par-ticular to combat this global scourge. Governmentsand international organizations are racing to developstrategies and international measures to fight back.One of these measures is the United Nations GlobalCounter-Terrorism Strategy, which was adopted by theGeneral Assembly in September 2006.

The international counter-terrorism legal regime viewsterrorist acts as criminal behaviour. It is based on thepremise is that perpetrators of terrorist acts should bebrought to justice, either in front of their country’snational courts or, through extradition, in front of thecourts of other countries or international courts, with aview to making the world inhospitable to terrorists.The regime identifies various acts, such as aircrafthijacking, dangerous acts at sea, bombings, supportand funding of terrorist organizations and kidnappingas acts of terrorism.

The challenges facing Member States wanting to signup to and fulfil the these obligations are daunting.That is where UNODC comes in. As with the moreestablished drugs and crime regimes, UNODC is able to

help Member States to boost their legal framework oncounter-terrorism as well as improve internationalcooperation against this criminal phenomenon.

UNODC lends its expertise to help States ratify andimplement international legal treaties and relateddomestic legislation. It provides assistance in strength-ening national criminal justice systems and helpsStates cooperate with one another.

MMaakkiinngg aa ddiiffffeerreennccee

Through its global project on Strengthening the LegalRegime against Terrorism, UNODC helped to raise thenumber of States which had ratified the first 12 inter-national conventions and protocols from 26 in January2003 to 97 in 21 November 2007. In 2007 alone, 43new ratifications of the universal instruments werecounted among the States that had received UNODCassistance.

During the year, UNODC provided direct legal assis-tance to more than 52 States and reached 106 Statesthrough regional and subregional workshops. It offeredspecialized substantive briefings to more than 1,500national criminal justice officials on the legal regimeagainst terrorism.

The project is funded through voluntary contributionsfrom 20 countries. Contributions reached $22.3 millionby the end of December, with $6.9 million being pro-vided in 2007 alone.

UNODC helps States to:

• become parties to the international conventions andprotocols against terrorism

• translate the provisions of these instruments intonational legislation

• strengthen the capacity of national criminal justicesystems through the training of judicial officers andprosecutors

• cooperate with other States, in particular on extradi-tion and mutual legal assistance

strengthening the legal regime against terrorism

47

SSttrreennggtthheenniinngg tthhee lleeggaall rreeggiimmee against terrorism

“We recognize that capacity-building in all States isa core element of the global counter-terrorismeffort, and resolve to . . . encourage the UnitedNations Office on Drugs and Crime, including itsTerrorism Prevention Branch, to enhance, in closeconsultation with the Counter-Terrorism Committeeand its Executive Directorate, its provision of tech-nical assistance to States, upon request, to facilitatethe implementation of the international conventionsand protocols related to the prevention and sup-pression of terrorism and relevant United Nationsresolutions.”

United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy(Section III, para. 7), 8 September 2006


48

MMaajjoorr eevveennttss iinn 22000077

UNODC counter-terrorism experts helped organize aseries of key events to drive forward the counter-ter-rorism work being done by the United Nations and tofurther the global project on Strengthening the LegalRegime against Terrorism.

Highlights of this work included three subregionalmeetings at the ministerial level. The events mobilizedsupport and prompted Governments to take action.They also provided a forum to evaluate progress,helped sustain States’ commitment and identifiedneeds for legal assistance.

The Ministerial Conference on InternationalCooperation against Terrorism and TransnationalOrganized Crime, organized together with theOrganization of American States, was held in theDominican Republic in March and attended by partici-pants from more than a dozen Member States.

The Fourth Conference of the Ministers of Justice ofFrancophone African Countries for the implementation

of the universal instruments against terrorism, organ-ized together with the Organisation de laFrancophonie, took place in Burkina Faso in Marchand was attended by 66 participants from 28Francophone African countries.

The Ministers of Justice Meeting on Strengthening theCounter-Terrorism Legal Regimes of the Member Statesof the Intergovernmental Authority on Developmentwas held in September in Uganda. The meeting wasorganized in cooperation with the Capacity-BuildingProgramme of the Intergovernmental Authority andattended by representatives of Djibouti, Ethiopia,Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.

BBuuiillddiinngg oonn ppaarrttnneerrsshhiippss

To ensure the successful delivery of technical assis-tance, UNODC continued to invest in partnerships withother organizations fighting terrorism.

A major event in 2007 was the Symposium onAdvancing the Implementation of the United NationsGlobal Counter-Terrorism Strategy, held in Vienna in

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) meets with the families of the victims and survivors of the bombing of the UnitedNations Headquarters complex in Algiers. Photo: Evan Schneider/UN Photo

May and organized jointly by the Government ofAustria, the Executive Office of the Secretary-Generaland UNODC.

The Symposium aimed at raising awareness of theStrategy, promoting its implementation and identifyingmeasures to assist Member States in this task. Morethan 350 participants from 107 Member States andinternational, subregional and regional organizationsattended. A publication on the proceedings was final-ized in September.

As in past years, UNODC carried out many activities incooperation with other organizations. For the firsttime, it also organized events with the Pacific IslandsForum Secretariat, including a subregional consulta-tion workshop on the implementation of the legalregime against terrorism in the Pacific region andrelated technical assistance delivery, held in Fiji inJune.

Close cooperation between UNODC and the CounterTerrorism Committees (CTC) of the Security Counciland its Executive Directorate (CTED) helped States ful-fil their counter-terrorism obligations as laid out inSecurity Council resolutions, in particular resolution1373, a wide-ranging anti-terrorism resolution from2001. In the course of 2007, UNODC participated inCTC/CTED country visits to Armenia, Bangladesh,Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Indonesia, Turkeyand Viet Nam. UNODC also continued to assistrequesting Member States in preparing their nationalreports for submission to the CTC. A 2007 highlight inthis regard was the organization by UNODC of subre-gional workshops for West and Central African coun-tries (held in Senegal in September) and SouthernAfrican countries plus the Comoros and the Seychelles(held in Botswana in November) on the preparation ofresponses to the three Security Council committeesdealing with counter-terrorism.

In order to ensure that the counter-terrorism work ofUNODC is aligned with the efforts made by the UnitedNations as a whole, UNODC continued to participate inthe United Nations Counter-Terrorism ImplementationTask Force. In the course of the year, UNODC co-chaired the working groups on “Facilitating the inte-grated implementation of the Strategy”, “Elaboratingtechniques and mechanisms to evaluate technicalassistance” and “Tackling the financing of terrorism”

and worked with other entities to promote internation-al cooperation.

EExxppaannddiinngg lleeggaall aassssiissttaannccee aanndd ccaappaacciittyy--bbuuiillddiinngg ssuuppppoorrtt

PPrroommoottiinngg iinntteerrnnaattiioonnaall ccooooppeerraattiioonn iinn ccrriimmiinnaall mmaatttteerrss

The legal assistance that UNODC provides on counter-terrorism seeks to promote international cooperation inrelated criminal matters, in particular with regard toextradition and mutual legal assistance.

Assistance of this kind was provided, for example, atan expert workshop, organized by UNODC and theOrganization for Security and Cooperation in Europe(OSCE), on Enhancing Legal Cooperation in CriminalMatters to Counter Terrorism, which was held inVienna in March for OSCE member States and partnercountries. Another important event was the subregion-al workshop on International Legal Cooperation inCriminal Matters related to Terrorism, also organizedwith the OSCE, which was held in Finland in Octoberwith the participation of the Baltic countries. UNODCalso provided specialized training on internationalcooperation in cases of terrorism and criminal mattersat a subregional workshop organized with theOrganization of American States and held in Peru inOctober.

UNODC also developed a manual on internationaljudicial cooperation in terrorist cases. An expertgroup meeting finalized the work in Vienna in April.

SSuupppprreessssiinngg tthhee ffiinnaanncciinngg ooff tteerrrroorriissmm

The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategyhighlights the importance of addressing the financingof terrorism and the need for Member States to imple-ment comprehensive measures that meet internationalstandards.

Among other activities, in May UNODC organized,together with the World Bank and the InternationalMonetary Fund, a workshop in Yemen on drafting leg-islation. Taking into account workshop analysis andfeedback, Yemeni officials submitted a finalized draftlaw addressing the financing of terrorism to the parlia-ment for discussion and adoption.

49

strengthening the legal regime against terrorism


50

With the support of UNODC, a national agenda for theperiod 2007-2009 on countering the financing of ter-rorism and money-laundering was elaborated inArgentina. UNODC will provide technical assistance forits implementation.

UNODC, the World Bank and the InternationalMonetary Fund also chaired a working group of theUnited Nations Counter-Terrorism ImplementationTask Force that aimed to elaborate proposals toincrease the effectiveness of national strategies toaddress the financing of terrorism and improve theimplementation of international standards. The work-ing group examined better ways to prevent the collec-tion of funds, detect the channelling of funds, seizeand confiscate funds, gather intelligence and exchangeinformation.

PPrreevveennttiinngg nnuucclleeaarr tteerrrroorriissmm

Following the entry into force in July of theInternational Convention for the Suppression of Actsof Nuclear Terrorism, UNODC launched specializedcountry assistance in the areas of criminal law andinternational cooperation in criminal matters related tonuclear terrorism.

Among the activities organized by UNODC to assistcountries with the drafting of appropriate legislationwas a regional workshop on the suppression of acts ofnuclear terrorism for Central Asia and Afghanistan,which was held in Uzbekistan in April, in partnershipwith the OSCE, the International Atomic EnergyAgency and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Legal experts working in nuclear, criminal, maritimeand international law met to discuss nuclear terrorismin Vienna in December. They exchanged views on thevarious penal provisions dealing with nuclear terrorismcontained in the universal framework against terrorism.The meeting will lead to the publication, planned for2008, of a specialized tool that aims to explain theoffences related to nuclear terrorism.

EEnnhhaanncciinngg aa ccrriimmiinnaall jjuussttiiccee rreessppoonnssee ttoo tteerrrroorriissmm bbaasseeddoonn tthhee rruullee ooff llaaww

In accordance with the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, UNODC has shown that effectivecounter-terrorism measures and respect for the rule oflaw, including for human rights, are not conflictingbut complementary and mutually reinforcing goals. Acriminal justice response that is based on the rule oflaw does more than bring perpetrators to justice, itprovides effective prevention mechanisms with built-inhuman rights protections.

Two seminars focused on enhancing States’ capacity tocounter terrorism while respecting the rule of law. Aseminar on combating terrorism within the rule of law,which was held in Morocco in March, was organizedby the International Legal Assistance Consortium andits member organization Human Rights NetworkInternational. A regional judicial training seminar onstriking a balance between the exercise of the power ofthe Government and the respect for human rights anddemocratic guarantees in the effective fight againstterrorist acts was organized jointly with theGovernment of Spain and the Organization ofAmerican States and held in Colombia in May.


United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (2006)

UNODC has developed a medium-term Strategy forthe period 2008-2011Photo: UNODC

As States seek solutions to threats that do not respectborders, they increasingly respond by making use ofmultilateral partnerships, for example through UNODC.

UNODC has developed a medium-term Strategy for theperiod 2008-2011 in close consultation with expertsfrom Member States, NGOs and other United Nationsorganizations. The Strategy was endorsed by the twogoverning bodies of UNODC, the Commission onNarcotic Drugs and the Commission on CrimePrevention and Criminal Justice, as well as theEconomic and Social Council.

The Strategy sets out tangible goals focused on threemain themes: rule of law; policy and trend analysis;and prevention, treatment and reintegration, and alter-native development. In total, the strategy contains 14areas for which 53 concrete results, accompanied byperformance measures, are to be achieved.

RRuullee ooff llaaww

The Strategy aims to bring about effective responses todrugs, crime and terrorism by facilitating the imple-mentation of relevant international legal instruments.It also promotes effective, fair and humane criminaljustice systems through the use and application ofUnited Nations standards and norms in crime preven-tion and criminal justice.

The concrete results expected are:

• Ratification and implementation of conventions andprotocols

• International cooperation in criminal justice matters • More accessible, accountable and effective criminal

justice systems• Prevention of terrorism

PPoolliiccyy aanndd ttrreenndd aannaallyyssiiss

The overarching goal is to rectify a dearth of informa-tion and analysis on crime and terrorism. While thereare good global data concerning illicit drugs throughillicit crop surveys and the UNODC World Drug Report,there are no comprehensive figures on world crime oran overview of crime trends. This is a handicap toachieving evidence-based policy-making on crimeissues. There is also a greater need for counter-terror-ism research in order to produce effective model lawsand legislative benchmarks.

To achieve this aim, the Strategy for 2008-2011 setsout specific goals targeting, for example, improvementsin the scientific and forensic capacity of Member Statesand the greater use of forensic and laboratory data tosupport policy decisions and operational activities. Thesuccess of the first goal will be assessed by perform-ance indicators such as the number of drug kits distrib-uted, the number of requests received for trainingassistance, or the number of manuals, guidelines, train-ing materials and tools produced by UNODC.

PPrreevveennttiioonn,, ttrreeaattmmeenntt aanndd rreeiinntteeggrraattiioonn

Drugs, crime and terrorism are major problems, butthey are not vast faceless forces. They affect the livesof individuals and the social fabric of communities. Inorder to prevent, treat and reintegrate those affected,the Strategy for 2008-2011 sets two main objectives.

The first is to reduce the opportunities for illicit activi-ties, drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, criminal activity and vic-timization. The second looks at the individuals affect-ed. It recognizes that drug abusers and crime offendersneed effective care to reintegrate into society, and thatvictims need assistance.

MMaakkiinngg iitt hhaappppeenn:: aa sshhaarreedd rreessppoonnssiibbiilliittyy

The Strategy for 2008-2011 is a challenging road mapthat is tailored to leverage the unique capacities ofUNODC. By providing concrete targets and identifyingwell-defined areas of intervention, the Strategy lays thefoundation for a culture of results-based management.

adding value

53

Adding vvaalluuee

The mission of UNODC is to contribute to theachievement of security and justice for all by mak-ing the world safer from crime, drugs and terrorism.The present strategy translates this vision into aplatform for action.

Strategy for the period 2008-2011

IInnnnoovvaattiioonn aanndd eexxcceelllleennccee:: tthhee UUnniitteeddNNaattiioonnss AAggeennddaa 2211 AAwwaarrddss

The United Nations Agenda 21 (UN 21) AwardsProgramme was established in 1996 as part of thereform effort led by the Secretary-General to giverecognition to staff members for innovation in thedelivery of United Nations programmes and services.

On his first visit to the Vienna International Centrein February, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pre-sented the UN 21 Awards and commendations forfield projects and services delivered in 2006. UNODCstaff members received four of the twenty prizesawarded to staff in the entire United Nations system.

One staff member from UNODC Thailand was rewardedfor his individual contribution to the Computer-BasedTraining Academy. This e-Learning programme deliversgood practice in law enforcement techniques to com-bat organized crime and illicit drug trafficking. It hascontributed significantly to developing the expertise oflaw enforcement officials in 21 recipient countries.

The UNODC Country Office in Colombia won a com-mendation for its anti-human trafficking project,which harnesses the mass media to raise awareness of

the problem through popular television soap operasand press campaigns.

Staff members in Human Resources Management andInformation Technology Service won an award forestablishing an online staff integrity awareness pro-gramme.

Finally, the Information Technology Service received acommendation for the Programme and FinancialManagement Information System (ProFi), an integratedfinancial and substantive information system thatenhances transparency and makes it easier to monitorhow donor funds are used.


54

MMeennuu ooff SSeerrvviicceess:: ppuuttttiinngg tthhee ssttrraatteeggyy ttoo wwoorrkk

The Strategy presents a blueprint for action. The nextphase is implementation. A key challenge for UNODC isto ensure that both recipient countries and donors whointeract with UNODC experts in the field have a clearoverview of the kind of technical assistance the Officecan provide. The “Menu of Services” is a key marketingtool that outlines the Office’s areas of competence in away that is accessible to practitioners.

The Menu of Services is structured broadly along thethree themes identified in the Strategy. It highlightsthe importance of providing an integrated response tomany challenges faced by Member States and under-

scores the fact that many of the services offered byUNODC interlock with each other.

As the number of mandates given to UNODC hasincreased and as the palette of services the Officeoffers has grown broader, the Menu helps make clearexactly what the Office can deliver and enablesMember States and partners to draw most effectivelyon that expertise. It describes the legal, analytical andtechnical capabilities of UNODC and the tools availablefor achieving the objectives set out in the Strategy. TheMenu of Services, which was launched in 2007, hasbeen well received by field offices and Governments,and has formed the basis for programme developmentin a number of sectors.


Strategy for the period 2008-2011 for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2007)Menu of Services: Technical assistance provided by UNODC (2007)

United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon presentinga UN 21 Award to a Vienna staff member in February.

55

adding value

UUNNOODDCC ooppeerraattiioonnss

Worldwide demand for the specialist expertise thatUNODC has gained in combating drugs and crime isrising. That trend is reflected in a major increase inresources from Member States and donors. UNODC rana portfolio of 229 ongoing projects in 2007.

The latest available figures for 2007 show that opera-tional expenditures on drugs and crime technical assis-tance programmes rose 39 per cent from $91 millionin 2006 to $126.7 million in 2007. This reflected anincrease of 31 per cent to $92.3 million in the drugsprogramme and a dramatic rise of 65 per cent to $34.4million in the crime programme.

BBrreeaakkddoowwnn ooff 22000077 oonnggooiinngg pprroojjeeccttss bbyy tthheemmee

BBrreeaakkddoowwnn ooff 22000077 oonnggooiinngg pprroojjeeccttss bbyy rreeggiioonn

BBrreeaakkddoowwnn ooff 22000077 eexxppeennddiittuurreess bbyy tthheemmaattiicc aarreeaa ((ttoottaall:: UUSS$$ 111144,,773344,,551177))

AAnnnneexx

UUNNOODDCC bbuuddggeett

The consolidated UNODC budget for the biennium2006-2007 amounted to $335.9 million. This included$72 million from the United Nations regular budget,only $33 million (11.1 per cent) of which went toUNODC, the remaining share going to cover theexpenses of services shared with the United NationsOffice at Vienna. Voluntary contributions amounted to$189.2 million (57 per cent) for the drugs programmeand $74.7 million (22 per cent) for the crime pro-gramme. General purpose funding for drugs and crimecombined amounted to $54.1 million.

RReessoouurrccee mmoobbiilliizzaattiioonn

In 2007, $178.9 million in voluntary contributions forboth the drugs and crime programmes were pledged,an increase of 26 per cent compared to the $141.6 mil-lion that were pledged in 2006.

The funds were distributed as follows:

• Funds for programmes: $164.2 million (91.8 per cent)

• General purpose funding: $14.7 million (8.2 per cent)

In terms of type of activity, the funding distributionshowed a large increase in funding for crime-relatedactivities:

• Drugs Programme: $111.9 million (63 per cent, compared with 80 per cent in 2006)

• Crime Fund: $67 million (37 per cent, compared with 20 per cent in 2006)

Cumulatively, the level of voluntary funding forUNODC has increased 113 per cent over the past threeyears. This large increase has been driven primarily byhigher contributions for technical assistance pro-grammes. In 2007, for the first time in three years,

UNODC was able to record a slight increase in un-ear-marked or general purpose funding essential forfinancing the core infrastructure of UNODC.

DDoonnoorr ttrreennddss

UNODC significantly intensified its cooperation withits major donors and with emerging and nationaldonors. Twenty-two informal meetings were held onmanagement and operational topics.

Particularly noteworthy in 2007 were the large multi-year grants received from Australia in support ofHIV/AIDS treatment in Myanmar ($3.3 million), fromCanada for the UNODC programme in Afghanistan($27 million), from the European Commission for theVictim Empowerment Programme in South Africa($18.9 million) and from Italy in support of criminaljustice reform in Afghanistan ($3.3 million).

In 2007, the major donor group provided about 72 percent of all voluntary contributions compared with 63per cent in 2006: the emerging and national donor

resource mobilization and partnership development

57

RReessoouurrccee mmoobbiilliizzaattiioonn and partnership development

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

FFuunnddiinngg ttrreenndd


58

group provided about 21 per cent of the total com-pared with 32 per cent in 2006 and others accountedfor about 7 per cent.

Significantly increased pledges were made byAustralia, Canada, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, theNetherlands, Norway, Sweden and by the EuropeanCommission.

Key institutional support for general purpose fundingcame from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France,

Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Spain,Turkey and the United States; together, these Statescontributed about 91 per cent of general purpose fund-ing. Germany, France, Japan, Norway and Swedeneven increased their general purpose contributions tosustain the core infrastructure of UNODC. Brazil,Colombia and Mexico, on the other hand, continued toprovide significant cost-sharing for the running oflocal offices.

DDoonnoorr ssuuppppoorrtt

PPLLEEDDGGEESS FFOORR 22000077 ((DDRRUUGGSS AANNDD CCRRIIMMEE)) IINN UUSS$$ as of 16 January 2008

MAJOR DONORS

Donor Special purpose funds General purpose funds Total

1 Australia 5,151,490 403,877 5,555,3672 Austria 2,273,023 54,720 2,327,7433 Belgium 102,403 63,393 165,7964 Canada 16,135,908 560,748 16,696,6565 Denmark 889,328 1,901,141 2,790,4696 European Commission 21,718,048 - 21,718,0487 Finland 900,427 301,780 1,202,2078 France 2,591,867 843,061 3,434,9289 Germany 1,821,874 789,474 2,611,34810 Ireland 1,210,375 806,916 2,017,29111 Italy 6,965,665 2,688,172 9,653,83712 Japan 1,292,614 790,811 2,083,42513 Luxembourg 1,346,842 67,568 1,414,41014 Netherlands 9,287,050 - 9,287,05015 Norway 5,353,152 1,901,483 7,254,63516 Spain 1,873,978 241,935 2,115,91317 Sweden 13,854,513 1,200,000 15,054,51318 Switzerland 847,301 60,667 907,96819 Turkey 745,000 255,000 1,000,00020 United Kingdom 5,126,211 - 5,126,21121 United States 14,928,673 1,000,000 15,928,673

Sub-total major donors 114,415,742 13,930,746 128,346,488

59


EMERGING AND NATIONAL DONORS


22 Algeria - 10,000 10,00023 Bangladesh - 1,000 1,00024 Bahrain 535,600 - 535,60025 Bolivia 454,900 - 454,90026 Brazil 1,879,500 - 1,879,50027 Chile - 5,000 5,00028 Colombia 12,221,558 - 12,221,55829 Croatia - 10,000 10,00030 Czech Republic 168,180 112,120 280,30031 Greece 290,000 - 290,00032 Hungary 120,009 - 120,00933 India 200,000 103,000 303,00034 Israel - 12,000 12,00035 Kazakhstan - 25,000 25,00036 Kuwait - 5,000 5,00037 Laos - 1,000 1,00038 Libya 1,696,200 - 1,696,20039 Liechtenstein 300,000 - 300,00040 Mexico 700,000 100,000 800,00041 Monaco 60,000 10,000 70,00042 Morocco - 5,000 5,00043 Nigeria 8,717 - 8,71744 New Zealand 140,845 71,595 212,44045 Pakistan - 1,956 1,95646 Panama - 3,600 3,60047 Peru 1,684,161 - 1,684,16148 Poland 68,399 - 68,39949 Portugal - 25,000 25,00050 Qatar 1,365,750 - 1,365,75051 Republic of Korea - 97,250 97,25052 Russian Federation 400,000 100,000 500,00053 Saudi Arabia - 50,000 50,00054 Singapore - 5,000 5,00055 Sri Lanka - 5,000 5,00056 Slovenia - 14,577 14,57757 Thailand 10,000 20,000 30,00058 Tunisia - 2,713 2,71359 United Arab Emirates 14,800,887 - 14,800,88760 Venezuela - 17,252 17,252

Sub-total emerging and national donors 37,104,706 813,063 37,917,769


60

UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES AND INTER-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS


61 Human Security Fund 64,200 - 64,20062 UNAIDS 7,679,021 - 7,679,02163 UNDP 372,000 - 372,00064 UNDEF 957,075 - 957,07565 UNICEF 33,170 - 33,17066 United Nations Mine Action Service 314,600 - 314,60067 OSCE 9,459 - 9,45968 NATO Russian Council 403,008 - 403,00869 UNOPS 928,100 - 928,100

Sub-total United Nations agencies and 10,760,633 - 10,760,633inter-governmental organizations

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS (IFI)


70 Inter-American Development Bank 1,430,000 - 1,430,000

Sub-total IFI 1,430,000 - 1,430,000

PRIVATE DONATIONS AND OTHERS


71 Organization of American States 89,500 - 89,50072 DAPC-Japan 187,941 - 187,94173 DROSOS Foundation 61,312 - 61,31274 Olympic Council for Asia 100,000 - 100,00075 Swissmedic 16,571 - 16,57176 Other private 85,925 - 85,925

Sub-total private donations 541,249 - 541,249

Sub-total other 49,836,588 813,063 50,649,651

TOTAL ALL DONORS 164,252,330 14,743,809 178,996,139

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With a growing portfolio of activities in Africa, UNODCsigned a memorandum of understanding with theAfrican Union, in which the following nine key areas forcloser collaboration were identified: drug demand reduc-tion, drug trafficking, HIV/AIDS in prison-like settings,crime prevention and criminal justice reform, small armsmuggling, corruption, human trafficking, migrantsmuggling and data collection. The agreement wassigned in Addis Ababa in December.

In 2007, UNODC engaged with the EuropeanCommission and various international financial institu-tions to promote private sector resource mobilization.While the focus and nature of each relationship is spe-cific, the overall aim of UNODC is to strengthen its part-nerships at both the policy and operational levels and toleverage its know-how, resources and operational capac-ity.

UNODC staff met with representatives of the EuropeanCommission in Brussels at the third senior officialsmeeting to discuss regional policies against drugs,human trafficking and organized crime. A number ofjoint project agreements were signed, making theEuropean Commission the single largest provider offunds to UNODC in 2007.

Consultations took place with the Asian DevelopmentBank to explore a joint approach to fighting money-laundering and corruption in South-East Asia. With theWorld Bank, the Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Initiativewas launched with the objective of putting into actionone of the key elements in the United NationsConvention against Corruption.

UNODC and the Inter-American Development Bank initi-ated a policy dialogue to explore joint initiatives againstcorruption and urban crime.

Consultations touching on numerous topics were heldwith the OPEC Fund for International Development,including on HIV/AIDS, crime and development inAfrica and alternative development in Afghanistan.

UNODC continued its advocacy and fundraising activi-ties with the private sector involving representativesfrom the media and entertainment industry, the interna-tional press, NGOs and foundations. Two major public

relations events were organized in New York, both relat-ed to human trafficking, namely the premiere of the filmTrade and the photography exhibition “Images ofVulnerability”, both of which mobilized broad-basedsupport for the work of UNODC.

NHN Corp of the Republic of Korea donated $500,000 toUNODC to help establish a virtual forum against cyber-crime. With the use of a digital platform, the forum willhelp law enforcement and criminal justice officers andresearchers from developing countries to gain access totraining courses and technical advice on how to preventand investigate cyber-crime. The training course will bepiloted in Viet Nam and launched in early 2008. This isthe first time a private company has donated funds toUNODC.

Collaboration with the Drug Abuse Prevention Centre ofJapan continued successfully in 2007. The Centreenabled UNODC to award 26 grants to NGOs in supportof grassroots activities for drug abuse prevention.

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A cooperation agreement was signed with the UnitedNations Foundation/ United Nations Fund forInternational Partnerships to promote private sectorresource mobilization for UNODC activities.

Cooperation with the United Nations Trust Fund forHuman Security intensified, leading to the establishmentof a solid pipeline of joint projects.

With its specialized technical expertise in criminal jus-tice matters, UNODC is part of the Rule of LawCoordination Group with other United Nations bodies,including the Department of Peacekeeping Operations(DPKO), the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) and the Office of the High Commissioner forHuman Rights (OHCHR). UNODC is taking the lead onefforts to combat corruption, organized crime, transna-tional crime, human trafficking and drugs as well as infavour of victim and witness protection and assistance.One of the technical assistance tools provided by UNODCis the Criminal Justice Assessment Toolkit, which wasdeveloped in cooperation with various partners, includ-ing UNDP, DPKO, the Organization for Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Asia and Far EastInstitute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatmentof Offenders, the African Institute for the Prevention of


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Crime and the Treatment of Offenders and the LatinAmerican Institute for the Prevention of Crime and theTreatment of Offenders. UNODC is also training UNDPstaff on the use of the toolkit for wider use and dissemi-nation in order to conduct joint assessment missions inthe field.

A partnership agreement with UNDP is being discussed to consolidate UNODC expertise on fightingcorruption and promoting criminal justice. UNODC isalso joining forces with UNDP in specific anti-corruptionefforts in Eastern Europe and the countries of theCommonwealth of Independent States. In addition,UNODC and UNDP are implementing a technical assis-tance project to counter terrorism and the financing ofterrorism in Kenya. Partnerships are also a key elementof the work being carried out in conflict and post-con-flict settings. For example, UNODC has been workingclosely with UNDP in southern Sudan for the develop-ment of a programme on criminal justice and prisonreform.

In 2003, UNODC and the United Nations HumanSettlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) signed a memo-randum of understanding that was based on these twoorganizations’ common mandate on crime prevention.Since then, significant efforts have been made to imple-ment and push forward crime prevention measuresthrough the development of joint technical assistanceproposals on urban crime prevention and access to jus-tice in East Africa. UNODC is a full-fledged partner ofthe Safer Cities Programme of UN-HABITAT and negoti-ations are under way for pursuing research on victimiza-tion.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is also animportant partner of UNODC, in particular on mattersrelated to juvenile justice. Together, UNODC and UNICEFhave developed several important tools, including thechild-friendly version of the United Nations Guidelineson Justice in Matters involving Child Victims andWitnesses of Crime and the Manual for the Measurementof Juvenile Justice Indicators. Efforts are being made atthe country level to implement these tools and developtechnical assistance. Furthermore, UNODC is a memberof the Interagency Panel on Juvenile Justice, which aimsto coordinate the provision to Member States of techni-cal assistance on juvenile justice based on theConvention on the Rights of the Child and UnitedNations standards and norms in juvenile justice.

A truly inter-agency effort is the United Nations GlobalInitiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT), which isled by a steering committee comprising representativesof UNODC, OHCHR, UNICEF, OSCE, the InternationalLabour Organization and the International Organizationfor Migration. Through UN.GIFT, these organizations aimto coordinate activities against human trafficking.

As a co-sponsor of the Joint United Nations Programmeon HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), UNODC looks specifically at theconnection between HIV/AIDS and injecting drug use,prison settings and human trafficking. Coordinationefforts at the country and regional level with UNAIDSand its other co-sponsor agencies have been launched.

UNODC has also fostered a strengthened partnershipwith DPKO, specifically with the United NationsStabilization Mission in Haiti. The two bodies conductedan evaluation mission with a view to developing a tech-nical assistance programme to strengthen the rule of lawand reform the criminal justice system in that country.

In Afghanistan, UNODC has worked with theInternational Security Assistance Force of the NorthAtlantic Treaty Organization and the United NationsAssistance Mission in Afghanistan. Additionally, UNODCis developing alternative development projects inAfghanistan with the World Food Programme. UNODCwill advise on the implications of the drug control activ-ities of the Government of Afghanistan and the WorldFood Programme will use its Vulnerability Assessmentand Mapping/Food Security Monitoring Unit to securefood aid and security.

The OSCE cooperated with UNODC on issues of precur-sor control in Central Asia, on the implementation of theInternational Convention for the Suppression of Acts ofNuclear Terrorism and regional issues concerning theCaucasus region and Turkey.

UNODC cooperated with the World CustomsOrganization to extend the Container ControlProgramme, which is helping the Governments of fourcountries control the movement of sea freight and stopcriminals using containers for illicit purposes.

UNODC and the Government of Qatar worked to set up ahigh-tech criminal intelligence centre in Doha to helpthe Gulf States combat drug trafficking. UNODC willprovide technical help for the centre.

annual report 2008 - peacewomen · ished nations. the stolen asset recovery (star) initiative,...

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